Chapter 23: Ten Percent

Brewed Delight Coffee Shop
The Wards
The Next Morning
5:30 AM

An overtired Detective Harrison staggered into the Brewed Delight Coffee Shop that was within an easy walking distance of CPD District 34. As was the case every morning since his arrival in Chicago, he was greeted by the shop's young and eagerly hardworking Indian morning clerk, Aaranay. The young man noticed Harrison's very evidently out of sorts appearance as soon as he walked in the door.

"Good morning, Mister Harrison!" Aaranay warmly greeted.

"Morning, Aaranay", Harrison dryly replied, "I'll have my usual, please."

The young man nodded and crossed to the large industrial carafe behind him, pouring some freshly-made hot coffee into a Styrofoam cup, adding milk and two small packets worth of sugar into the beverage per Harrison's habitual preference. "Here you are, sir", he said in his usually warm tone.

Harrison nodded, raising the cup to the young clerk with one hand and sliding the required three-dollar payment to him with the other. "I appreciate it, my man", he said, "Thanks."

"You're very welcome", Aaranay kindly replied, "If it's alright, may I ask you a personal question?"

Though he was a bit put off by the young man's sudden, but obviously well-meaning inquiry, Harrison nodded. "Sure", he said.

Aaranay then came out from behind the counter and stepped over to Harrison. He made sure to speak to him softly as to not attract unnecessary attention from other patrons. "Are you alright?" he asked, "I have seen you in here every morning over the past few weeks and I don't think I've ever seen you so…tired."

Harrison could tell that Aaranay was just trying to be nice and show concern. "I've been up all night", he said, "Hey, it's part of being a Chicago cop, right?" Realizing that the concerned look on the young man's face hadn't changed, he sighed. "Look", he said after a beat, "I've been under a lot of stress lately, but I'll be okay. There's no reason to be worried, but I do appreciate your concern, Aaranay, you're a good guy." He patted the young man's shoulder.

Aaranay nodded apprehensively. "If there's anything you need from me", he said, "Please don't ever be afraid to ask."

Harrison nodded. "I won't", he said, "Thanks again, Aaranay."

The wearied detective crossed to his usual booth which faced the shop's large front window. He soon heard the upbeat sound of a musical chime, which indicated to him that someone had opened the door and entered the shop. He was rather startled to be joined in his booth by Hank Voight.

"Morning, Hank", he said, "How'd you know I'd be here this early in the morning, man?"

"Get real, kid", Voight replied, "Every copper in the Thirty-Fourth District gets breakfast here. I figured since I'm going to be here for a bit until Sunny comes back, I might as well start coming here, too. Unless you'd rather be alone."

Harrison shook his head as he sipped his coffee. "No worries", he said reassuringly, "That's fine."

Voight nodded. "Good", he said, his tone abruptly changing from one of lightheartedness to one that was rather stern and seemed to now be one of trepidation.

"What's going on, Hank?" Harrison asked candidly, wanting his interim partner to get straight to whatever point he was trying to make, "Is something wrong?"

"Unfortunately, yes", Voight said before sighing deeply. "Look", he said after a beat, "You're a really good cop, Troy, and you seem to be a really good partner. I certainly don't mean to embarrass you, but I am worried that what you're doing off duty could have a very damaging effect for you in the long run."

With that, Harrison put down his coffee cup and leaned in closer. "What exactly is it you think I'm doing?" he austerely asked.

"Well", Voight replied, "That faint odor of vodka and orange juice on your breath is quite the giveaway, if you want me to play it straight with you. Just so you know, brushing your teeth and using mouthwash only masks that shit. It doesn't make anything disappear."

Harrison scoffed at that. "So, I drink when I'm off the clock", he said, "I'm certainly not the first homicide cop to do that, especially in a gritty city like this."

"Amen, brother", Voight said, "I've been on this job almost twenty years and have seen all manner of death, pain, violence, and bullshit. I used to drink like a damn fish a lot myself, especially after my wife died."

"Pardon my being so blunt", Harrison said, "What's your damn point then, man?"

"My point is", Voight began, "After I stopped trying to numb my pain and drink away my grief, I realized I had a young son to raise and a city to protect. It's okay to have a drink every now and then, but pounding them all down at once is only going to kick your ass in the future, bro."

Harrison sighed deeply at that sentiment. "I hear you, Hank", he finally said after an extended moment of self-reflection, "I really do. Thank you for your concern, and I promise to try and work on myself. I promise never to put you or anyone else at risk." He extended a hand to his newfound confidant.

Voight returned the response, shaking Harrison's hand tightly. "I know you won't, kid", he said with his tone changing back to one of more sincerity, "Because none of us who genuinely have your back will ever let you. Sergeant Mahoney wanted to bring all this up to you earlier, but then Sunny got shot and we all got sidetracked."

Harrison managed a smile. "So, she thought all that would've been better coming from a tough son of a bitch like you, huh?" he asked in a smart-mouthed manner.

This spur-of-the-moment intervention was interrupted by the familiar theme music from the WKZ news jingle coming from the shop's large high-definition TV that was mounted above the counter. Barbara Snow, a lofty and stunning golden blonde tan-skinned anchorwoman in her late forties, appeared on the screen just as the two detectives turned to watch.

"This is your WKZ afternoon news break", she began, "I'm Barbara Snow." Footage of Palin Correctional Center appeared on screen. Several men and women in CPD uniforms and FBI raid jackets were bringing people out of the center's main building in handcuffs. "A shocking scandal within Chicago's Palin Correctional Center was brought to light today", Barbara narrated as the footage continued playing, "As agents from the FBI's Chicago Field Office received an anonymous tip this morning reporting alleged acts of corruption and inmate abuse by the correctional center staff, mainly the Center's Warden, Peter Malich. Assisted by officers from the Chicago Police Department, they descended upon the center roughly one hour later. Several arrests were made, but it's not known what the charges are at this time."

An image of Peter Malich sporting a very phony smile then appeared on screen. "Prior to becoming the Warden of the new cutting-edge correctional center, Peter Malich spent twenty years as a Chicago police officer", Barbara continued narrating, "However, a subsequent investigation by WKZ yielded the discovery of court records which indicated that Malich was found guilty of committing acts of domestic violence against his then wife and apparently served only ninety days of community service. We reached the CPD's Public Information Officer, whose only comment was that Malich had been terminated from the police department two years ago. Malich himself, however, could not be reached for comment. For WKZ news, I'm Barbara Snow."

Harrison's gaze snapped back to Voight. "What the hell did you guys do?" he asked.

Voight's phone rang before he had the chance to properly explain what he and Olinsky had done the night before.

"Voight", he answered, "Okay. Where? At the beach? We're on our way, we're about ten minutes out. Thanks."

"Who was that?" Harrison asked as Voight put his phone back in his pocket.

"Captain Broussard", Voight replied, "A patrol unit in the Nineteenth District found a floater washed up on shore at North Avenue Beach. He wants us on scene ASAP."