The Pinnacle of Grant City

"You're going to talk to the mayor himself?" Chris said. "Do you think he knows something about your old man's death?"

"Look, I had been wondering this myself," Jack said. "Ever since that night at the subway when it was under construction, I wondered if Pinnacle had something to do with my father being killed. He was ready to tell me something, and then he died."

"Shit, Jack, I don't know what to tell you," Chris said. "But I must tell you this right now – I quit the force."

"Wait, what?"

"Hennessey has been on my ass lately. Apparently, someone had told him that I was helping you out and that is considered, 'aiding and abetting a criminal.'"

"Well, you have."

"Right, but something was off about all of this. Shit, I had a feeling that Michelle has been onto me lately, but when I talked to Hennessey, he gave me some shit about my pops, your pops, you, all that shit. He also mentioned Hildy."

"Yeah, that day you and Michelle went to her apartment."

"But that's not all. He said it in such a way that he knew of her in some ways. Sure, Michelle could have told something, but the things he said, he said that you and Hildy were close."

As Jack sat there in the driver's seat while he talked to his friend, he looked up as a look of confusion mixed with a glare grew on his face.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him everything, how I knew he had it in for you for a long time, as well as that he just arrested you right on the spot without questioning you and stuff. So I just turned in my badge and got the fuck out of there."

Jack sat there deep in thought. Jack knew he had to talk to Pinnacle, but he wondered if Hennessey could have had something to do with him getting arrested. Hennessey was there when the GCPD came into Blatz's penthouse and made the arrest. And then Hennessey mentioned Hildy, which put Jack in a bigger bind than before.

"Jack, are you there?" Chris said.

"Yeah, I'm here," Jack said. "I just have too much on my mind right now."

"Yeah, well, as for the mayor, well you could try checking his office in downtown," Chris said. "But Pinnacle's got a lot of guys guarding that place."

"Don't worry, I'll manage to get in," Jack said. "And Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"Be safe out there, I'll call if I need some help. I think I know someone who can help for a bit."

"Be careful out there, Jack."

Jack knew he had to make another call, but if Chris had told that Hennessey knew some stuff, he had to make sure he wouldn't be traced. The only option would be to use a payphone. There was likely one inside Phillies. Jack wasted no time in getting out of the car and entered the bar not long after.

"Excuse me," Jack said to the man standing behind the bar counter. "Can you tell me where your payphone is?"

The bartender pointed towards the restrooms in the back of the bar. Without question, Jack went towards the restroom and pulled out a piece of paper and some change he had and slid the coins through the slot. He punched in the number. After a couple of rings, a male voice said, "Razwell Autos, this is Mike."

"Hello, is Hildy available?" Jack said.

"Um, who is this?"

"This is Jack."

"Jack? Jack Slate?"

"Yeah, is she there?" Jack said.

"Oh shit, Jack, it's been a long time," Mike said. "Yeah, I'll go get her. Just wait a bit."

At this time of night, it was likely that the body shop was closed, but with Hildy's brother answering the phone like that, it was also likely that he also lived there. In less than a minute, Jack heard a female voice say hello on the other end.

"Hey, Hildy, how are things going?"

"Jack, you haven't called," Hildy said. "Is everything okay? I've been worried about you."

"I'm a little worried, too," Jack said. "Listen, I have to ask you, when Chris and the female cop were at your apartment, did anything seem off about it? Also, have you dealt with any cops lately?"

"Only that lady cop, but other than that, Chris was cool," Hildy said. "As for the other question, I have not been stopped by any cops or anything. I have been here at Mike's place for the past couple of days. I'm in North Field West, in case you're wondering."

"Well, maybe I might come by sometime soon, I'll keep in touch," Jack said.

"Okay, Jack, talk to you soon," Hildy said.

Jack hung up the phone and quickly left the bar and went to the car. He sat there deep in thought.

Is Hildy safe? Does Hennessey have ways of finding her? I hope he doesn't. If Hildy has been staying with her brother the whole time, then I shouldn't have much to worry about. Right now, I need to have a word with the mayor. If Senator Copeland has my back on this, then I have nothing to lose.

Jack started up the car and left.

The next night, it was set. Jack drove up to city hall. During the daytime before anything, Jack took care of matters with things. He got the film developed from the photos he shot that night at the Fremont Hotel. The photos implied that Hennessey might have been in on something with Pinnacle, but what was it? So many things that Jack had gone through up to this point. Seven months prior, Shadow found some gold at the subway construction site. Gold was found at Sanderville Heights. Was gold a factor here? If Fahook Ubduhl had a connection to all of this, Jack was about to get his answers tonight.

Jack didn't go alone, either. He brought along Shadow this time. Jack figured that Shadow would know where to find Pinnacle, as the man would often be puffing on a cigar, and dogs were known to have a great sense of smell.

The car was parked a block away from city hall. Jack and Shadow walked towards the building. It was no surprise that a large fence was built around the mayor's office. Much to Jack's surprise, the gate that was used to walk in wasn't sealed. Jack looked around and went ahead and got in, while Shadow followed him into the grounds of city hall. The only thing that Jack and Shadow could do was keep a low profile on the premises. Jack and Shadow hid behind the bushes when a couple of guards were out on the stoop on a break as it seemed. Chatting and smoking, those were the likeliest activities any bodyguard would do on a break.

"…You're still thinking about that imposter from the other night?" One bodyguard said. "Did you think she was hot or something?"

"Okay, she was, but there was something about her that seemed familiar," the other bodyguard said, who turned about to be Greene. "She was quick to pull her gun before I got to her. I think I had seen her before."

"Who do you think she is?" the bodyguard said.

"I think it was Eve Adams, but I'm not sure," Greene said.

"Eve Adams? I hear she is one dangerous bitch," the bodyguard said.

"Rumor has it that she has her ways," Greene said. "I hear she has killed some men by kissing them with venom."

"Oh shit, better watch out for her," the bodyguard said.

Out of nowhere, the front door opened and out walked Rafshoon, decked out in his fancy burgundy vest and tie with a white shirt and slacks.

"Hey, Mr. Pinnacle wants your presence right now, follow me inside," Rafshoon said.

At that moment, Jack and Shadow slowly sneaked towards the banister of the steps as Rafshoon led the security agents inside the office. The door was wide open as the two bodyguards walked in. Jack quietly sped up the steps with Shadow behind him and as the door closed, Jack stopped it from closing all the way. Jack slowly opened the door.

CREAK!

The creaking sound caused Rafshoon and the two security agents to turn around. The door barely shut, but no one was there. What was puzzling about this was that it took a little longer for the door to seal.

Jack pressed his back against the wall while Shadow was next to him in a sitting position. Jack looked to Shadow and signaled him to be quiet.

Rafshoon walked down the corridor and looked to the left where Jack and Shadow were. By that point, the two were gone.

"Hmmmm, nothing here, fellas," Rafshoon said.

Once Rafshoon walked off and was nowhere to be soon, Jack peered from behind a pillar. It was likely that Pinnacle had cameras set up around the premises. If Jack was to get caught by security, he knew he would be screwed. Jack wasn't here for an assassination, but he didn't come unarmed either.

Jack had to rely on stealth for this. This wouldn't be the first time he would do something like this. He had done this when he was a cop. He had also done this during his time in the Marine Corps. But he wasn't about to start a bloodbath in city hall if he didn't have to. It didn't matter if the bodyguards were corrupt or not, if Jack shot up City Hall, it was back to "Old Sparky" for him.

As Jack and Shadow walked down the halls, they found a flight of stairs. The two went up. It was nighttime. If any employees were present, it would be bodyguards and possibly other employees working late. But that area felt like a ghost town. Was Pinnacle here at all?

Shadow crawled around, but a scent caught his attention. Shadow started to bark.

"What is it, boy?" Jack said.

The scent of cigar smoke caused Shadow to crawl further. Jack smelled the scent, too. It appeared that it wasn't long since someone had lit up a cigar in the vicinity. The aroma was so strong that Shadow caught up to the source. It appeared that Pinnacle's office was close by.

Jack walked along the corridor. As he got closer, from around the corner, he saw pistol pointed right to his head.

"You're a real piece of shit, Slate. You just can't stay down, can you?"

The Caribbean accent threw off Jack in that moment. He knew who it was that held the gun to his head. It was Rafshoon. For that, Jack raised his arms.

"I was hoping to speak with the mayor," Jack said. "Is he around?"

"He's busy, he's got more important matters than to deal with, like controlling the city, among other things," Rafshoon said. "He doesn't have to talk with a lowlife like you."

"You know something, Diggs, I got some questions I have to ask you," Jack said. "It's about time we speak. Hildy told me that you were involved in kidnapping her. What was your plan? In fact, what was Fahook's plan? Was he going to juice her up and ship her off to Babylon? Is that what you did with Ruby, too?"

"Hildy? That skinny one-time looker?" Rafshoon said. "Mark my words, Slate, she would have been happy working for Fahook and the last thing she needs in some washed-up fugitive lowlife holding her skirt."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm washed up?" Jack said. "Man, what happened to your boxing career? You couldn't even cheat smart."

"That's just wrong, asshole, take it back or I'll blow your fucking head off," Rafshoon said.

"Like you could," Jack said and quickly pulled out his pistol and pointed it directly at Rafshoon's head. "Remember, I was a cop and I was a marine. I know my shit."

"You know what, maybe we should handle this like men," Rafshoon said and set his gun to the floor.

"Bring it on," Jack said and repeated the same process by setting his gun to the floor. "Let's handle this like men."

Both men got in fighting stances. Some fellow bodyguards just stood by to watch what was about to unfold before their very eyes. Shadow crawled off to the side.

Rafshoon threw the first punch, but Jack quickly dodged the attack and threw a couple of punches of his own, but Rafshoon blocked and dodged as well. From that point, Rafshoon had thrown a few jabs and delivered a hard right hook to Jack. There was a reason this man was a professional boxer. Jack was knocked back a bit. Both men knew that this was not a sanctioned fight. Neither man had gloves or anything. For that, Jack went and delivered a few punches. Although Rafshoon had dodged a few attacks, Jack quickly went for a blow to his stomach and an uppercut soon after, which knocked Rafshoon back a bit.

"I was a boxing champion in the marines and when I was on the force," Jack said.

"Not bad, Slate," Rafshoon said as he knelt on the ground.

But Rafshoon wasn't done yet. He rubbed his hand in some way that Jack wondered what he was doing.

"Let's see if this wasn't just luck," Rafshoon said as he put up his dukes with brass knuckles on both of his hands.

"See? That's how you cheat like a pro," Jack said, sarcastically.

Rafshoon delivered a hard right towards Jack's face, but Jack quickly dodged. It didn't stop Rafshoon from delivering a hard left to Jack's stomach in that amount of time. With the brass knuckles, it caught Jack off-guard and Rafshoon punched Jack in the face with the brass knuckles, leaving a bruise on his face.

Angry at what had just happened, Jack wasted no time in throwing a few punches. Jack was well-aware of Rafshoon's experience as a professional boxer and looked to be in good shape despite having been kicked out of the sport. It also appeared that he honed his skills in that time. Jack, however, caught Rafshoon off-guard by kicking him in the gut and then rushed towards him to deliver a hard front jump kick to Rafshoon's face.

Jack quickly went right up to Rafshoon's face and then pushed him to the wall.

"Where the fuck is Pinnacle?" Jack said.

"He is in his office right now," Rafshoon said.

"Okay, thank you for being a good sport," Jack said and punched Rafshoon in the face one last time and shoved him to the floor.

Jack picked up his gun, called for Shadow, and then knocked on the door.

"Come in." The voice said from the other side. Jack and Shadow went right in. There was Pinnacle standing near his desk lighting his cigar. His cigar looked like it had been put out before but then he lit it up again after he cut off the previous burnt end.

"Not bad, Jack, I'm impressed," Pinnacle said. "Perhaps I should have hired you as my bodyguard."

"I suppose, especially after I fucked up your main bodyguard," Jack said and drew his gun to him. "Especially after I found that it was your construction company that was working on the subway that had some shit there that you had used to fund the construction along with the city's money, and are also in bed with some really bad people. Maybe I should tell the feds what has been going on. Hell, I'll even show them where I buried your body."

"Relax, junior," Pinnacle said as he held the cigar in his hand. "I didn't kill your father. If you hadn't figured that out by now, you aren't half the detective I took you for."

"He found out about your scheme, and also knew that you had helped fund many criminal operations across Grant City," Jack said. "Right as he bled to death, he was about to tell me who killed him."

"He's not wrong about what I've been up to, but again, I didn't kill your father, nor did I order his death," Pinnacle said. "I may be involved in some…questionable activities, but not murder."

"Yeah? Well, who did then?" Jack said. "Who was the one who shot my father? And who fucking set me up for Blatz's murder?"

Pinnacle took a puff from his cigar and then blew the smoke out.

"There are pernicious forces in this city, forces who have gathered evidence that could destroy some of its prominent citizens, such as myself."

"You're not answering the question," Jack said.

"Who was the first cop to show up when you called in your father's death?" Pinnacle said.

"Hennessey," Jack said.

"That's a little suspicious, don't you think?" Pinnacle said.

"What? Are you telling me that Hennessey killed my dad? Come on!" Jack said. "And why would it be suspicious?"

"I am aware that Hennessey had it in for you for far too long," Pinnacle said. "I know he hated your father, and he hated you, which was why he gave you shit all the fucking time. Shit, Jack, he didn't bother to question you when he arrested you. But there is one thing you should know – he's blackmailing half the city. He not only has the ability to put me in a federal penitentiary, but every criminal on this side of the river. He even has the power to frame good cops like you, and your father."

"My…my dad," Jack said in a sad tone and looked to the floor.

Just then, Jack realized something. It appeared that Chris had a point with what he had told Jack the night before on the phone. Hennessey always had it in for Jack, but when Frank was on the force, those two squabbled at times, but there was something fishy about Hennessey.

"Surely you knew Hennessey wasn't on the up and up," Pinnacle said.

"I knew he was an asshole, but why kill my father?" Jack said. "He was already kicked off the force."

"He found out about my 'golden account' with Fahook, the same one Hennessey liked to 'dip into' every now and then," Pinnacle said. "But greedy little bastard was just looking out for his money tree, and had no compunctions against hiring Mayhem Inc. to ensure its safety. He had me continue to fund for his own 'private army' in the GCPD."

It then hit Jack. When Hennessey was at the murder scene those seven months prior, he had mentioned Frank's enemy, Augie Blatz. Although it only took Jack to go after Blatz a couple of weeks after Frank's funeral, it seemed that Hennessey knew Frank too well, as he was the one cop that Blatz couldn't buy. Jack had it ingrained into his head that it was Blatz who set up Frank. As for the stuff with the Grant City Anti-Crime Unit, it was no wonder that they had continued to exist at this point.

"Yes, I knew about Mayhem Inc. going after you and Blatz that night," Pinnacle said. "I know you have your issues with that one guy from Mayhem Inc., Patch, isn't it? I am not too sure, but as distasteful as it might seem to you, I would like to propose an alliance. Together, we eliminate Hennessey and his files, and in return, you will have avenged your father's murder, and I'll see to it that you're pardoned."

Jack looked at him with a look of "huh?" Although Pinnacle gave a similar promise that was to Senator Copeland's promise, Jack thought of going along with it. However, Jack also knew that Pinnacle had worked with a lot of the criminals of Grant City. But if Pinnacle was backed into a corner by Hennessey, then something may have been up.

Pinnacle's story about Hennessey filled in too many blanks. Chris and Pinnacle were right that Hennessey hated my father and me. Chris informed me that Hennessey didn't bother to question it when he arrested me. When my father learned the truth, he had to be killed. Hennessey could stop the other cops from investigating the murder properly, but when I showed up at the crime scene, it threw his plans out of whack. That day I went back to the precinct to talk to him about coming back to work, it led him to devise the plan. He had it down, so he set me up.

"So where are these files located, exactly?" Jack said.

Shit had just gotten real for Jack.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Patch had just gotten into his fancy and expensive car, probably done with a hit. His phone rang.

"Patch here. Ah, yes, he is still out there. I am willing to take him out, but only if the price is right. Now I have the creative freedom for my best work of art yet. Thank you. I will let you know as soon as my artwork is done."

Patch got off the phone. "It is time, Jack Slate. Time for your death."

Author's note: Wow, I'm glad I went this approach. I had thought of waiting to do the meeting with Pinnacle, but I thought it was better this way.

Differences between this version and the 2002 game: the game had it take place in the prison after a riot that had occurred after Jack escaped. It was no secret that Namco Hometek had little care that they reused the map of the prison to have it take place there when there was no reason. Also, the fight with Jack and Rafshoon took place inside the gas chamber (although the size and shape was highly irregular, not to mention that there was gas in there when the prison was shut down for a period) and part of it had to do with picking up a gas mask. It was crazy.

Next up, Jack makes one more stop before finishing his personal case. Stay tuned.