Chapter 6.
Discovery.
Another day, and another thing for the case that the 32nd District Intelligence Unit had. Dolan Chase only silently walked over into his boss's office and closed the door behind him. Immediately hearing the door to his office being shut, Liam Fontana looked up from whatever he was doing and eyed Chase. And from the way the LAPD detective's face was set, Fontana could tell that Chase was angry, not at him, but about something. Something to do with their current case. Fontana then motioned for Chase to have a seat. The detective then sat down on the chair that faced the office desk. And after taking a deep breath, the LAPD detective spoke.
"We got to do something about this whole thing between us and IAD, and now."
Fontana then cleared his throat. "Why you'd say that?"
"Now, they're wanting us to give them at least, five files ready and to go by tonight." Chase replied.
Fontana has a stunned look on his face.
"Files? Why, out of all this, five files? Who the heck do they think they are?"
Chase chuckled sarcastically.
"Ha! Superintendent Fraser is already working on that with them. And Chief Parler's wanting IAD to let us do our frickin job. But will they listen to him? No."
"And?" Fontana asked Chase.
Chase smirked.
"I just so happened to took a peek into one of the files, and guess what I found out?"
Fontana then cleared his throat again. "What did you find?"
"I'm thinking that Cortez's faking this whole thing with his film being sabotaged." Chase said.
"And what makes you think that he is?" Fontana asked him.
Chase suddenly raised his eyebrows and smirked towards his boss.
"I also happened to look at two other files and saw that two of his executive producers have previous records for sabotaging films and other things. Plus, Ren ran a... eh... little scan through these two producers and found out that they had a previous connection to the murder of a young raven toon."
Fontana immediately looked shocked.
"First of all; I'm telling you and Skyler that if you two keep it up, you two are going to end up in the Toon Justice Unit. And second of all; how did these two guys have a previous connection to this toon murder?"
Chase gave his boss another smirk.
"Jared Monahan. That's how Sarge. It happened just this last year."
"When?" Fontana suddenly asked the LAPD detective.
Chase then cleared his throat.
"The night Wakko Warner was shot at that 76 convenience store in Burbank, as a matter of fact."
"Dang. Good work," Fontana congratulated Chase. "I want their names, and I want them now."
Chase immediately pulled something out of the pocket of his jacket and tossed it on Fontana's desk. The older man then realized what they were right away. He picked up two files and opened them up. And after taking a minute to carefully scan through them, Fontana then gave Chase a slight smile.
"I think that you just saved those Warner siblings from jeopardy. I'll be contacting Superintendent Fraser on this one. You, on the other hand, get everyone else all geared up and ready to go at a moment's notice. Looks like you and I are gonna be paying Cortez a little visit."
Just as Chase got out of his seat, Washington came in, and with Detective Chaney, and Officer Layton behind her.
"Sarge, we came to tell you that Chief Parler told IAD to back off and let us do our job. And also, Fraser's giving us the get-go to arrest Harold Butler, and Kenneth Domhler." Chaney told him.
"Plus, Special Agent Rodney has called in Agent Barrett from the FBI." Layton told Fontana.
The Unit leader immediately chuckled as he heard mention of Barrett. He remembered Thomas Barrett from last year. Fontana then had everyone get themselves ready to move out on a moment's notice. Just as everyone was dressed up in their police suits, a man with short hair and a beard going on walked up the stairs of the Unit's bullpen, and motioned for Fontana to join him a minute. Everyone else immediately made way for the man, and because, this man was none other than their Chief of Police for the LAPD, Chad Parler.
"What's up Chief?" Fontana asked him.
The Police Chief looked Fontana dead in the eye.
"You remember our former boss, Monahan, and what he did?"
"I do." Fontana answered respectfully.
Parler then gave Fontana another file.
"It's so happens to be that our saboteur is just related to Monahan's accomplice, Nicole Millard. And you all want his name?"
Fontana and the team only nodded their heads respectfully. Parler then nodded his head in return.
"Jori Cortez. The son of Bartholomew and Orchid Cortez."
Chase immediately raised a eyebrow.
Dang, I was wrong about Cortez. It's not him. It's his son calling all the shots.
Chase immediately raised a hand in respect for Chief Parler.
"Got a question here? Bartholomew and Orchid Cortez have a son?"
Parler then gave the detective a little smirk.
"They do. Both Bartholomew and Orchid started out early. Both tied the knot when they were both sixteen."
Fontana then raised his hand. "And just how is Jori Cortez related to Millard?"
Parler looked at him. "Her adoptive son."
Skyler flinched.
Oh, I get it now. That bucko wants revenge on the Warners for what happened to his adoptive mother by sabotaging his biological father's film?
Washington then raised a hand.
"I think I see it now; Jori Cortez wants vengeance on the Warners, because of what became of Nicole Millard? If I'm right?"
Both Fontana and Chief Parler looked her direction, and ironically, so did Chase. And as he did so, he smiled.
"Detective Washington, I think you're actually quite right there." Parler told her.
"And he had his father make the Warners the film's stars. Hence the reason why they started being targeted by him." Officer Layton deduced.
Parler then pointed a finger at the Officer.
"Good thinking Layton."
Then he turned his attention back to Fontana.
"When did you get such good detectives?"
Fontana only shrugged his shoulders. "I'm lucky, I guess."
Parler then looked back at Layton.
"When this is done with, I want you in my office. I'll be promoting you to Detective. You know what, forget about it. I'm doing so right now as we speak."
Parler then gave Fontana another look.
"All right, let's get out there and arrest Butler, Domhler, and Jori Cortez. And now."
If you all think that this is about to be the end of Here and Now, you're wrong. This is just the beginning of it… Wakko's trouble, that is! So prepare yourselves for come what may. The next chapter is gonna have some serious trouble. And for the Warners… especially Wakko! But… 'til then, God bless…
JalcoFox.
Police Chief Chad Parler—Michael Maize.