The Stash

Author's note: I'm back with this. I know I had not worked on this lately. Personal things in my life had occurred that I'd rather not share, but the primary reason was because this portion of the story was hard for me to come up with a good scenario for this. If you want to know, feel free to ask. Enjoy!

After a half hour, Jack had driven Eve back to her hideout near the coast on the abandoned fairground. Shadow slept in the backseat while Jack drove. What he had gone through, along with his comrades in battle, that would make anybody tired. It was a wonder that Jack, Eve, and also Shadow had survived.

"Thanks for taking me home," Eve said while she sat in the passenger's seat.

"No problem, maybe this could be a step in returning all of those favors you did for me," Jack said.

"Don't worry about it," Eve said. "I got so much shit on my mind right now."

"Yeah, about that, I saw that Patch got into your head," Jack said. "What was up with that?"

Eve sighed and looked at Jack directly in the eye. Somehow she suspected this night wasn't going to end without Jack asking questions about that. She knew that Jack saw a different side to her, a side that she never thought he would see.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you sometime, but one thing you should know is this – Patch and I have history, more than you would know." The way Eve paused, she seemed hesitant to share this story.

"What?"

Eve continued, "Like I said, it's a long story. Listen, one day, maybe we can talk about this over a drink, and then maybe this could be a step in returning those favors."

"Like a date?" Jack said.

Eve paused for a couple of seconds. "Sure, a date. Unless, of course, your doctor would not like that."

There it was again. Eve just had to remind Jack of Hildy. Why did she do that? Eve had already filled Jack in on why she didn't follow through with the contract on him, as well as saw that they were alike in many ways. Although Jack had history with Hildy, given that they grew up together and were in a relationship when they were teens, he knew that they weren't an item, so Hildy shouldn't have to be a factor here.

"She is not invited, we can do this," Jack said. "Anyway, now that you have avenged your brother's death, what's next for you?"

"That's a good question, I'm not sure what I should do," Eve said.

"Well, go get some rest, you need it," Jack said. "I'll call you soon to check in."

"Okay, but there's one thing I should ask you," Eve said. "What's next for you when you avenge your father's murder?"

Jack sat there in silence. He knew that this was a tough question to answer.

"I'll get back to you on that," Jack said.

Eve nodded her head. The two looked each other in the eye, while Eve reached over and touched the left side of Jack's face. The gaze at each other was enough to say that there was some common ground between the two. They leaned in and kissed each other on the lips.

"Call me later, handsome," Eve said.

"I will," Jack said. Eve then got out of the car. Jack sat there and watched as she walked towards the building while carried her rifle and other weapons she had.

Jack sat there as he looked on with deep thought.

I saw a different side to Eve tonight. I have seen her leave bodies in her wake. I have seen that she is not a heartless killer, otherwise she wouldn't have let me live. In fact, she has a soft spot. But what I saw tonight was she has the same feeling I had when I saw my father in his final breath. It doesn't make either of us soft. However, I also saw a feeling of emptiness after she avenged her brother's death. If I kill Hennessey or Fahook, I wonder if the feeling is inevitable. I know it won't bring my father back, but still.

If Senator Copeland was willing to help clear my name, I wonder what I should do next. Mayor Pinnacle gave me the same promise, but should I trust him? I looked at Eve and wondered what was up. I saw the way she lived. Does this mean I would have to hide out forever?

Right now, I needed to focus, to focus on solving my dad's murder. But first, I needed to make a call.

Jack pulled up to a payphone and slipped in a coin and dialed a number.

"Hello, Chris, are you up? Okay, good. Listen to me, I will need your help soon. I need you to take me to the station. I have a feeling Hennessey's been hiding shit from everyone. Will you do this for me? Okay, we'll talk more about this soon. See you soon."

The following night, Jack pulled up in front of the station. Shadow was in the backseat. He looked around the area to see if anybody was around.

The next night I went to the precinct. The same precinct I worked at before my arrest. I had called Copeland and filled him in on everything, including what Pinnacle had told me. As far as I'm concerned, I am taking the senator's word over the mayor's, but I still played along with Pinnacle's "promise."

A couple of nights ago, Pinnacle had told me that I would find the evidence that Hennessey was holding somewhere in the station, like in his office, but where? Would he have them in a filing cabinet? Or does he have a safe that no one knows about? With all of the money he has been making, he must have it installed for all we know.

I had called the mayor before I took off. He called Hennessey to tell them I was spotted around the vicinity of Downtown, probably going towards Grant Central Station attempting to leave the city. Hennessey brought the Grant City Anti-Crime unit with him. So the station would probably be clear. Don't know why Hennessey would need the entire GAC squad to go after one man, but hey, it's smooth sailing for me.

As Jack continued to scope the area, another car had pulled up behind him. An African-American man walked up to the driver's side window and tapped on it. Jack looked up. He knew the man and turned the key in the ignition to roll down the window.

"Chris, it's about time you showed up," Jack said.

"Yeah, are you sure that Hennessey's got some stuff on everyone?" Chris said.

"That's what I had heard," Jack said. "I was told that the station would be clear."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Chris said. "Hennessey probably took his army with him, but there might be some cops inside. They see you, you're fucked."

"You think I don't know that?" Jack said.

"Look, I'll go up and tell them that I left some stuff at my desk and at my locker," Chris said. "You and Shadow can go through the garage and get inside. I'll cover you."

"Good idea," Jack said. "Can you get Shadow out for me?"

"Sure thing," Chris said.

Jack rolled up the window while he unlocked the doors. Chris opened the door and out came Shadow, who crawled towards Chris and greeted his master's friend and former partner on the force.

"Hey, Shadow! Hey, buddy!" Chris said and then petted the dog. He then turned his attention towards Jack.

"So does Melissa know what you're doing?" Jack said.

"Well, sort of, she thinks that I'm going to the stuff to pick up some stuff that I left behind," Chris said.

"What did she say when you told her you quit?" Jack said.

Chris sighed a bit. "She wasn't thrilled about it, but I had filled her in on all the corrupt shit that was going around the department. I know Melissa makes more money than me, but it's not about that. I tried to be a good coop in this fucking shithole city."

"So did I, and look what happened to me," Jack said.

"Yeah, I know," Chris said. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jack said and told Shadow to follow him.

Jack and Shadow went in one direction as they headed towards the side of the station. Meanwhile, Chris walked towards the front door of the station. Inside there was a security guard at the front desk. This man was an older African-American male who wore glasses, likely had been on the force for a long time but now had settled to a job where he was the night guard. This cop went by Blake.

"Jones, what are you doing here?" Blake said.

"Oh, hello, Blake," Chris said. "I'm just here to pick up some stuff that I left the other day. I'll be out in a bit."

"Take your time, Jones, and one more thing," Blake said. "I hope your old man gets out of jail soon. I heard about what happened and thought that was a bunch of bullshit."

"Thanks, Blake, I hope so, too," Chris said and then walked inside.

Meanwhile, Jack and Shadow made their way into the police garage where some squad cars were parked. A flight of stairs was seen with a window near what looked like a radio system. It was likely the dispatch area.

It looked like there was no one in the room. How will any of the cops respond if a crime would occur? Oh, that's right, this is Grant City. It was possible that the usual dispatcher was out sick or that maybe Hennessey had something on her.

But what Jack didn't expect was that there was a cop in the garage. The cop had on a GAC uniform, but the helmet was off. The cop was a man and he saw Jack sneaking around the garage. The cop quickly ran towards the stairs to head to the radio room.

As Jack continued to sneak behind some of the parked squad cars, Shadow barked.

"What is it, boy?" Jack said. In response, Shadow let out a quiet growl and looked towards the upstairs.

"Fuck me," Jack said.

Inside the radio room, the cop went to the radio and spoke into the microphone.

"Hennessey, come in. Hennessey, do you copy? Shit, what's the damn frequency?"

Jack raced up the stairs while Shadow followed him. While the cop continued to look for the right frequency to reach his superior officer, a voice from behind said.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The cop turned around and saw that Jack had his pistol pointed right at him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Slate?" the cop said.

"None of your damn business," Jack said. "I don't want to have to kill you, Burns, so lay off, or I will have Shadow here give you a lesson you'll never forget."

Shadow looked at Burns and started growling fiercely.

"Hennessey says that you're at large, I can't let you go just like that," Burns said.

"Fuck Hennessey, that man is dirtier than you think," Jack said. "So lay off, or I'll have Shadow rip your fucking balls off. What's it going to be, Burns?"

Sweat ran down the cop's forehead as he trembled and looked at Shadow and Jack. Burns was familiar with Jack as the two had worked together before Jack's arrest and incarceration. He also knew that Shadow was a good police dog, but also can be bloodthirsty at times.

"Okay, fine, but you owe me, Slate," Burns said.

"We'll see about that," Jack said and looked at Shadow. "Come on, boy."

Jack led Shadow down the stairs as they headed towards the door at the back of the garage, which led into the station's interior.

I got to find those files ASAP. Jack thought. Chris could only stall any other cops for so long.

Meanwhile, Chris continued to search his desk for anything he could have possibly left behind. In his presence was his former partner Michelle Powell.

"I know I left it here somewhere," Chris said.

"So what's this I hear that you cussed out Hennessey," Michelle said. "You just stormed out of here the other day."

"Come on, Michelle, do you actually think that Hennessey is trying to solve any important cases right now?" Chris said while looked in the drawers in the desk, or at least pretended to. "All he gives a shit about is catching Jack, when there is some more important shit out there, like sex-trafficking and people dying."

"Jack killed Grant City's beloved philanthropist," Michelle said. "I know that woman was hiding something that day."

"You don't know shit, Michelle," Chris said. "Look, you're a good cop, but you really need to open your eyes. Can't you see that we have a lot of shit going on right now, when all Hennessey cares about is catching Jack?"

"I was right, you were working with Jack," Michelle said.

"Yeah, because he's my friend and he's innocent!" Chris said.

Chris no longer had to hide that he was helping out Jack, because he was no longer a cop on the force. He had only quit the force because of the corruption and saw through Hennessey the whole time.

In that moment, Jack stealthily sneaked by Chris and Michelle as they continued to argue. Shadow slowly crawled to avoid being detected. Jack could stay and watch his friend bicker with his and Chris's former colleague, but it wasn't the time. Aside from running into Burns and seeing Chris talk to Michelle, Jack saw that the station was rather empty. Maybe Hennessey needed the entire Anti-Crime unit to apprehend Jack, or worse, which was the likelier possibility.

Jack managed to quickly hide behind a hallway, but the swiftness caught Michelle's attention, enough to notice something gray, white, and on hind legs go around the corner. The more Chris spoke, the less Michelle paid attention. Not because she didn't want to hear what he had to say but more that what she saw raised suspicion.

From Jack's view, he saw the door to Hennessey's office.

"Come on, boy," Jack said. Shadow followed him.

Oddly enough, the door to Hennessey's office was unlocked. Hennessey had some blinds installed to ensure no one would look inside. Jack went to look for anything his former superior could have to keep the files locked. The first place he checked was under the desk, but no safe was to be found. He looked inside the filing cabinets in the desk, but they were locked.

BARK! BARK!

"What is it, Shadow?" Jack said. Shadow stood and tapped his right paw against what looked like an expensive painting that was placed behind Hennessey's desk. The painting depicted someone standing before some people bowing before the person of power.

It seemed that Hennessey's tastes in art only suited his own personal interests. From what it seems, he wants power over anyone. Jack thought.

Jack grabbed the painting and slowly took it down. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at what he saw what was in front of him. There was a safe.

Hennessey must have paid a lot of money to have this installed, but how could this have slipped by anybody else in the department? I guess that explains the blinds. He didn't want anybody to know about this.

He looked at the safe. If there was one person he could have had on this mission, it would have been Ruby, whom Jack had busted sometime ago for participating in a robbery. But there was no time to reach her, nor did he think he should have her involved, as it would have been possible that she would sell out Jack, given what she had gotten herself into. But Jack had another idea.

I wasn't always an honest cop. Shit, I was given talking-tos about my methods sometimes when I would get rough when apprehending a suspect. There had also been times when I had bended the rules a bit, whether it was as a youth or in my time as a police officer. I was going in.

Jack reached inside his jacket and pulled out a bent wire clothes hanger. Hennessey's safe had a keypad and three small light-emitting diodes. Jack stuck one end of the hanger into one of the LED's. It didn't take long until the safe door had opened. Inside, there was a box with folders and VHS tapes stacked. The tapes had some labels on there with names of suspects written on them, as well as what appeared to be sex tapes of some powerful figures and anybody working for them. One tape in particular had a label that was written "Ruby with Rafshoon Diggs and the Volkoff Brothers."

But what caught Jack's attention was the box as tabs were sticking up, with names on each of them:

F. Slate

P. Jones

A. McGuffin

G. Exner

W. Pinnacle

A. Blatz

F. Ubduhl

F. Chow

R. Diggs

R. Morgan

S. Houstown

H. Cruz

J. Sanderville

J. Slate

Jack pulled out some of the folders and took a few glances at some of them.

This looks like what I came for, and more. Jack thought. I'm sure if I stuck around long enough, I'm sure I'd find all sorts of bad voodoo that could take Hennessey to his grave. But this would be plenty, and it would be much longer before Hennessey's posse realizes I wasn't at Grant Central Station.

Taking Hennessey down was certainly a priority, but I couldn't help but feel wrong about giving Pinnacle a clean record to work off of, given his corruption. Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone. I think the press would love to have some of this, or even the feds.

Jack put the box to the floor and quickly shut the safe and then put the painting back on the wall.

"Freeze!" A female voice said from behind Jack after he put the painting back on the wall. "Put your hands where I can see them."

Jack raised his hands and slowly turned around to see that it was Michelle, brandishing a pistol as if she was ready to open fire if he was to try anything.

"Michelle, what a pleasant surprise," Jack said.

"Shut up, Jack, you're coming with me," Michelle said and then reached for her transceiver. "Hennessey, come in. Slate's here. I got him in my sights."

Meanwhile, Chris stood out there away from where Michelle was. Chris saw that Shadow had gotten out of Hennessey's office with Jack or Michelle noticing it. However, Shadow noticed a light glaring out of a door down another hallway and then barked.

"Shadow, what's wrong, buddy?" Chris said.

Shadow raced towards the slightly cracked open door. Chris followed him. It was towards the area where the holding cells were. Chris had opened the door and jumped at what he just saw with his eyes bulging and his jaw slowly dropping. Some of his fellow officers, including Captain Inness, were locked in the holding cells.

"What…the…fuck?!" Chris said under his breath.