Chapter 6
The next morning when Street walked into HQ the building was like a hive. Hondo motions for him to get a move on and Street hurries to get ready in record time. They meet up in a briefing room and to his surprise Hicks leads the briefing.
"The judge denied the request to give us a list of all open cases with special communication set up on the grounds of risking the security of the witnesses and lawyers involved. We need more concrete proof Baker is jeopardizing a specific case. We can't go on a fishing expedition," Hicks sounded a lot more agitated than they all are used to and the team exchanges some curious glances.
"But we can look into all of Baker's current cases. As long as they are public record," Deac tells them and even if it is boring, busy work they are diving into the files.
Street flips through all of them, but there is nothing that springs out. Nothing that would make any sense in relation to what they found out last night.
The next few days are boring and nothing of importance happens. Street powers himself out after every shift so he can fall asleep and not lie awake all night thinking about the mess his private life is right now. He still hadn't mentioned that he saw Molly with Baker, and no one else had seen them together in a private setting so maybe it had been just him seeing something that wasn't even there.
He shakes his head at his reflection in the mirror.
Focus. He tells himself.
Today it's his and Chris's turn again to follow Baker around. The man is in court all morning, just arguing boring cases. Nothing that even comes close to what they are suspecting. Nothing makes any sense.
At lunch they follow him to a small café, close to the courthouse, where Baker choses a table inside, but thankfully at the window so they can sit outside on a bench and talk.
Or pretend to talk. Every time he tries to open a more personal topic Chris blocks it.
"So, who do we think he is going to meet here?" Street nods his head to Baker.
"He ordered two coffees," Chris deadpans "so my money is on girlfriend. And from the looks of it she is late," she motions across the quad where Baker seems to be glancing at his watch ever so often.
"I'll go in and try to see what's going on," Street pushes off the bench, "Want something?"
"An iced coffee but be careful that he doesn't…" Chris admonishes him a bit and Street rolls his eyes.
"Not my first rodeo…" he waves her off and heads for the café. He holds open the door for the woman that arrives there with him and manages to keep his facial expression in check.
That was that madame from the restaurant, right?
Street turns his head to look across the plaza and try to see if Chris noticed too, but he can't tell because of the distance.
"In or out?" snarls a guy next to him reminding him to move.
"Sorry, just thought I forgot my wallet," he pulls out his wallet and pats his pocket again. "Go ahead, if you're short on time."
This way he'd have a chance to wait closer to the table Baker and the mystery woman were occupying. And he might be able to overhear part of their conversation.
He steps to their table and pretends to read the menu above the counter, while also hearing their voices.
"I need more girls. You promised to…" the woman whispers angrily.
"I can't do anything when she is staying there…" he argues back.
"Aren't you in charge? Tell her to…" the woman's voice rose a bit too high and a few heads in the café turned and therefore Street had to turn and move away.
What was that about? His head was spinning, but he was sure now that Baker was shady.
He hurries to grab two simple coffees and get back to Chris to fill her in. They needed to get back to HQ and check open cases again. And they definitely need to figure out who that woman really is.
Chris calls ahead and texts a picture she managed to snap to the tech team at HQ, so they maybe can run her and have an ID before they make it back. When the two of them walk into the briefing room, Kirsten Baker is plastered on the screen.
"Baker, seriously?" Street raises his brows and turns to Luca who nods with a serious expression on his face. "Sister or wife?"
"We're trying to find out now. He didn't list any family in his records, and she has been running an escort service in town for the past 10 years," Rocker walks in with a tablet in hand and pushes some tax and property records on the screens. "Nothing stands out. If you hadn't overheard them, we'd have no lead at all. Not that we have anything concrete here either."
"Do we have any idea where Baker is planning to get the girls?" Hondo points to the blank space on their board.
"I might be able to help with that," Hicks suddenly walks in with a grim expression on his face.
"Four months ago LAPD found an abandoned truck with young women in the back," he reminds them and with a few keystrokes the relevant case files pop up. "They have been put up in a safe house while they are helping the DA and fighting their own cases to stay here. Legally if necessary. For the past three weeks every other night one or two of them have disappeared and so far, 6 of them are missing,"
After Hicks presses another button the faces of 6 young women of all ethnicities pop up on screen.
"Who's in charge of that safe house?" Chris grits out next to him and Street crosses his arms. The exact same thing has been running through his head too.
"No one but the DA's office was supposed to know about this place," Hicks grits out and Street can tell he is angry. "But that's changing now. It still can't leave this room, because there is something else."
Street swallows. They all have seen Hicks serious but right now the commander looks as if he were ready to murder someone.
"We're sending in two undercovers, and no one can know besides the lawyer in charge of the case,"
Street looks around. Chris and Erika look ready to get to their assignment, that much all of them can guess.
"How do we even know the women have been taken?" Hondo asks with a deep frown on his face.
"The lawyer helping these women stayed at the house without telling anyone about it. She suspects a mole within in the DA's office and she witnessed the abduction last night," Hicks explains and the room goes quiet.
Street balls his fists. He, as well as everyone else in the room can guess with 100% accuracy who that lawyer was. And right now, he wants nothing more than to make sure she is okay.
"Chris, Erika, follow me. You're leaving right now. The rest of you make a plan how to keep them safe," Hicks orders and leaves the room. Chris taps Street shoulder twice before she follows the commander out.
Street's not quite paying attention to the roster Hondo and Rocker set up. He knows it will get sent out to them in writing anyway. They just need to make sure everyone in that house will be safe. Especially if the goons the Baker's use will show up again.