Chapter 29: The Blue Wall
"Good day all" Captain Hicks greeted the officers "If I can have your attention, a few weeks ago we had a robbery at the Maze Bank; so far we haven't gotten a damn lead" he states "So, it's with this moment that I announce that the investigation from here on now is going to be handled by the Task Force". The room became eerily silent.
"Excuse me, sir?" Linda waved at him "Why exactly are they being involved in this?". The captain sternly looked at her "Well," he breathed "they think that this may have something to do with gangs; their's a possibility that one or two of them might be involved with one of the groups out there". Linda crossed her arms "Sir, that's seems very unlikely. This is way too sophisticated too be street gang related"; she knew one of the perps; she also knew where the perp was staying. But she was going to keep her mouth shut. Not just because they were family but because something else felt very wrong. "Officer Rhee, if you have any theories then take it up with them" Hicks insist "Go to Detective Wolf and explain whatever theory that you got on your mind, okay?".
"Alright, dismissed, do your things and get out of my sight".
The officers left both worried and possibly watching their backs a lot more than usual now that those people are going to be taking over. Linda felt different. Her instincts kept clawing at her brain. Like something wasn't right. Nobody had to be a rocket scientist to know it.
Linda was the last to leave. Suspicion just clouded her mind.
Just then a group of men in dark blue police jackets walk towards a group of detectives. They waved at them towards the conference room. That was part of the Task Force, the rest were probably somewhere out there in the shadows. Their reputation wasn't just nasty but utterly ruthless. Everything about them spelled out deadly. A tall man, around 6'1 or so, strolls right behind them. His hair was charcoal black with a lite shade of gray at the sides, it was cut neatly into a crew cut. His face was as stern as stone. Those eyes of his were as blue as the sky. The only facial hair was that on his face was a black and gray mustache which was properly trimmed. Every typist and officer either moved out of the way or looked away. People would call that respect but Linda knew what it was; it was fear. That's what someone like Victor Wolf was. Just say his name and everybody scatters to the wind. Just then he stops and looks towards her direction. Their eyes meet.
Everything had slowed down.
The two officers looked at each other. The two were different but the only difference between her and him was that Linda put in a lot of work to become a good police officer. Wolf on the other hand, that was a different story. One that was littered with controversy, some gun shots, finger pointing and a few dead bodies. Whatever he is spelled bad if not morally horrid. They just keep staring at each other, their eyes piercing whatever invisible shield they had. Wolf calmly looked away and proceeded to follow the rest of the men to the conference room. The aurora around her felt different. Like the energy had shifted.
Linda had felt something. Like a looming storm cloud that was going to pour out rain and shoot out bolts of lightning, wrecking and destroying everything in it's path.
As she entered her squad car to start her day, the feeling didn't want to go away.
Later that night, Linda's apartment
She paces back and forth in her room. The days events on her mind than usual. And it wasn't the boyfriend and girlfriend who went on an all night PCP binge and randomly bit every person they thought was going to harm them.
Linda went on in her mind. She wasn't a detective, even though she was smart enough to take and pass the exam, but the one thing about every investigator does is always follow their nose.
Linda went to her closet and pulled out her uniform.
She stares at her badge.
The numbers at the bottom read 5947. She's had this ever since graduating from the police academy. Everything that she had worked for. Every bust, every gang member that she put in prison, every abuser she threatened could all go down the drain.
Linda pondered if she should go to Sunny and give her a heads up. But relents at that moment, because they were more or less on speaking terms. Linda also speculated that if she told Sunny this then their's a likely chance that she wasn't going to believe her and likely assume that Linda was setting her up for an arrest. If she was going to do this then she would have to do it as quietly as possible without anyone knowing what she was up to. Which meant changing her schedule from patrol routes to finding whatever information she could find.
The only dilemma that was she facing was on how she was going the information.
At the same time, there was also another thing on her mind: going against the badge.
Linda knew what it would mean if she found out something scandalous. Every person in the department would likely assume that she's working with the feds. She wasn't dirty like those filthy few who took whatever bribe they could get their grubby paws on because they felt they deserved a piece of the pie for all their "hard work" to the community. A gigantic target would be painted on her back if anyone found out. That's the thing about cops, if one were to turn and expose something bad. Names would be ruined, people would be reassigned to desk duty for the rest of their careers.
But to her this was for the greater good. Even if it meant destroying her own career in the process.
The next day, Los Santos Police Department
"Sir? You wanted to see me?" Linda pops into the captains office "Uh yes, come on in". She notices a familiar face from the day before "I thought er this was going to be a conversation between you and me; what's he doing here?", Hicks looked unnerved for some reason "Uh Detective Wolf wanted to ask you some questions himself" he fidgets around his desk "Take a seat" the detective ordered.
"So you're the top cop that I've heard so much about, you've got quite the reputation" Wolf compliments "Thanks" Linda blandly responded "You said that you got some questions for me; what is it?". Wolf leaned against the captains desk "Well I have a proposition for you, if you're interested", Linda looked on "First let me get to know you". Wolf pulls a file from the captains drawer "You are Lee Yeon Rhee," he says her full name "born in Seoul; immigrated here with your mother" "Yeah, what of it?" Linda felt irked "Nothing just reading what's on the page".
"You grew up in Strawberry and three years later you moved pretty close to Vespucci, you lived quite a life" he notes "Your point?" Linda impatiently wondered "Like I said, I'm just reading what's on the paper". His eyes go back to the file "It says right here that you had a sister," she looks up at him "and that she's had her fair share of run in's with the department" Linda gripped her pants tightly "It's funny, according to this when you came for the interview you said that it was only you and mother who came to the United States" Linda kept on looking "You said initially that your mother gave birth to a girl and that she put her up for adoption, care to explain?".
Linda let go of her pants and wasn't sure if this a trap or something more.
"I-I had a sister..." it pained her to say the word had "And yeah, she did get into trouble a lot; she made a lot of dumb mistakes; and I'm pretty sure that she regrets them a lot". Linda started a lot more proud of Sunny "But I'm pretty sure she still has some good in her".
"Did you ever stay in contact with each other?" the good detective wondered "I don't know where she is, she went to juvenile hall when she was thirteen and she disappeared after she left; I haven't seen her since".
Wolf looked on with ease "Really?" "Yeah, really".
"You haven't spoken to her in that long? That's quite a long time to hold a grudge" "Like I said, she made a lot of mistakes; I'm sure she's sorry about those mistakes".
"She was thirteen when she went in, she'd be...?" Wolf started to guess "Twenty four" Linda answered. Wolf gave her a hard look "Right...". Linda just stared at him "Is that all? What was that your proposition Just look into my life?" "Of course, the proposition; I want you on the Task Force". Linda looked at him "Well, what's your answer?".
"No" she simply answered "This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and you're turning it down?" he questioned "Yeah, I'm turning it down" Linda reiterated "You have a good record and you're tough on criminals, think about it; you could give us an edge". Linda laughed at hearing that "I'm not like the others in the department, who just move to the side when they see you; I'm not stupid. I know what really goes on with you and your people". Captain Hicks puts his hands up in a cautious manner "Oh? What have you heard about us?" he seemed to know what she was talking about "That the Task Force is nothing more than thugs. That you harass and intimidate people, that certain criminals who don't cooperate with you usually find themselves with certain items planted on them".
"Those are just rumors...something that certain people out there concocted, they're nothing but a false reputation from others" he refutes "Besides, I'm pretty sure their's a certain police officer who's done a fair share of things and crossed a line or two to bring justice to those who have done wrong".
"Then their's that thing from last year" Linda looked on "What thing?" Wolf questions "You know, a gang member by the name of Jose Redondo, a junkie who caused too many problems for his Vagos set; he stole money and got into some trouble. He planned on turning states evidence, everything was set. He was at a safe house but somehow he went missing before the trial, his girlfriend even inquired about him; funny thing though; she went missing too after that".
"Crazy enough, Jose was found with his hands tied behind his back and a bullet hole in the back of his head near Chumash" Linda sternly stared at the detective "I don't see how that ties in with us" Wolf says with a cautious gaze "There's no way anybody could have gotten to him without giving certain people information". He scoffed "Maybe he just had bad luck" "Right...I guess then it's bad luck then that his girlfriend was found washed up on the beach a few weeks later with a syringe sticking out of her arm, dead from a hot dose" "Officer Rhee, you have to understand that young lady was just like her boyfriend; an addict and a criminal in her own right" he answered with contempt.
The office sat in a tense silence.
"So you stand by no, I take it?" he questions "That's the final answer that you're going to get...period" Linda mentally put her foot down "Okay" Wolf simple states "Suit yourself, just so you know you're missing out on the chance of a lifetime" he retorts "And just so you know, I really don't give a shit; are we done?" Linda looked at the captain "R-Right...uh dismissed".
She got out of her seat and headed to the door. She exited, unsure what just transpired. It felt more like an interrogation; somebody who was attempting to extract whatever information that she had on her. It was nerve wracking. The prying of her life and that of her family's felt like an intruder rummaging through her belongings looking for something valuable to steal. It was more like he was sizing her up but for what exactly was a mystery to her. For Linda it meant that she would have to have eyes in the back of her head and it also meant that she would have to carry an extra clip or two.
Records room, Los Santos Police Department
"You shouldn't be here, you going to get in trouble" the records officer warns "I don't care, look I need your help; I need files that were written up by the Task Force". Just the name of that group made him think twice "No way, those guys are trouble; I'm not missing with them" he rebuffs, he wet his pants; metaphorically speaking. "First things first, don't forget that I'm the one who got you this job; don't forget that the judge almost gave you that sentence if I didn't intervene" Linda reminded.
"Second, I think your wife may want to know why you're working late Wednesday nights", he was taken aback "I-I don't know what you're taking about..." he stuttered "Oh? I'm pretty sure it was Officer Pecker-I mean Officer Peck who was teaching you a thing or two about wrestling moves, I guess that explains all that grunting and moaning that people have been reportedly been hearing, I'm pretty sure one or two people have heard you calling out for 'Daddy'; or was it 'Officer Nasty'? I can't quite remember, I'm also pretty sure I heard someone say they heard somebody shout out 'Harder! Harder! Harder!'".
"Why doesn't your wife teach class at the local Catholic school? She teaches Sunday school doesn't she? I'm pretty sure she would want to know what her husband's been doing after hours in the records room, especially if it involves somebody who isn't his wife and especially if it's somebody who isn't a lady? I guess she'll get an anonymous message on her-".
"Okay! Okay!" the records officer put his hands up. He looks around to make sure nobody heard anything "Follow me" he caved in "Was that so hard?" Linda mocked sarcastically "Oh by the way, don't try anything funny; otherwise your wife is also going to know about the 'camping trips' that you take at the end of every month that you take with the 'guys'. And by camping I don't mean in the woods, then I wonder why two peculiar officers were always taking extended trips to that motel just off of Chumash" "I get it, okay" he mouthed off "Nothing to be ashamed of, my sister is gay and she's dating a really cute girl" Linda proudly boasted "Their's nothing to be worried about but if I were you, you will have to tell your wife what you been up to, otherwise I don't know but it wouldn't be surprising if she caught you and Officer Peck in an...awkward position, if you know what I mean?".
The row of the many case files lines up. People could get lost in the room, one would need to tie a string or leave a trail of bread crumbs to follow their way back home if they got lost.
The records officer stops and pulls out a few files "Here's a few things that the Task Force has done in the past few years, happy?" "Very much" Linda thanked in her own way. As the officer walked away, Linda looked at the reports. Years of certain secrets are now in her hands. If anyone knew what she had in her hands, they'd likely end up killing her. These files if were in a sense weapons. And these weapons were in fact dangerous, both physically and mentally. This would make her a very dangerous woman, if not a wanted woman.
She quickly stuffed into her gym bag and sprinted out as fast as possible.
Linda thought, with any luck, she might be able to uncover something.
To her secrets were like buried treasure. They're worth a lot and somebody is willing to kill to keep them buried.
She knew their wouldn't be any turning back.
Chapter 30 is coming soon. Rate and Rate.