Chapter 3
Present Day
The quiet shuffle of footsteps on the stairs caught her attention straightaway but Tess waited until she heard the soft knock on the door to turn, returning Kim's smile as she paused in the threshold.
"Hey. I just wanted to see how you're doing."
"Pretty good." She answered, turning around fully in her chair so she could face the other woman. Jay had left a half hour ago with Kevin, Hailey, and Vanessa to check out a possible lead while she stayed down here to keep working, and though she'd expected to do that alone it probably wasn't a bad thing if she could get to know one of his teammates a bit better. Even if she did wonder whether Kim had come on her own or been sent.
Did it matter either way?
Not really.
"I'm not doing much at this point, just waiting for my programs to do their thing. You should have these pricks rounded up in time for lunch."
"That fast?"
She nodded and watched as the officer's shoulders drop with relief.
"Good."
Kim didn't say anything else but she didn't leave either, just walked into the room and leant against the desk across from her, her eyes flicking over the monitors as though she could see through the lines of code to the horrific images that lay underneath. She probably could. She also probably didn't need to. She'd worked enough cases like this one that the images were likely seared into her brain.
Just like they were for Tess now.
"It's a bonus of operative work- not having to see this everyday." She explained when Kim looked her way. "Kids always get caught in the crossfire but this… it's a whole other kind of awful."
"Yeah. I never used to understand how someone could hurt a child but now…" She trailed off and for a moment they sat in silence, Kim stuck in her head and Tess stuck watching as the younger woman's hand drifted to her abdomen, where just a few short months ago her own child had been growing.
She would've been content to let it go if she hadn't seen that, to change the conversation to something more positive but that hand and the way it ghosted over her stomach, fingers clenching before they moved back and gripped the desk… Tess couldn't ignore that. She could never ignore someone in pain but especially not one she'd felt herself. Not one that was so primal, so… visceral.
So current.
"You know, a few years after Jay and I first got together I got pregnant."
Kim went on guard immediately but she quickly realized what Tess had said, not just what it said about what she knew about her but what she was sharing about herself and her mouth opened then shut, the wariness in her rich brown eyes softening just as swiftly as it had grown. "What happened?"
"It was ectopic, so I had to have an abortion; they found it while I was having a medical so everything was done… quickly." Within hours, but she didn't say that. She also made a concentrated effort not to shrug it off, to fight the voices murmuring in the back of her mind that this was too personal, too close, almost comforted by the twisting in her gut as she reminded herself that she could deal with it. "It's not the same as what you went through but the feeling of having something that isn't quite real yet be ripped away from you… I imagine that's the same."
"Yeah. Yeah, I think it is."
They shared a knowing look and despite the whispers and tightness Tess found herself leaning closer. "I gave Jay shit for not saying anything to you and Adam. I mean, I get it, it would have been one hell of an awkward explanation but he could have done it. Or just, you know, lied. What men typically do when they have to talk about their feelings."
"Knowing them both, I can imagine they had similar responses." Kim said with a laugh, and the warmth in her eyes pushed more of that tension back. More than she'd thought it would.
"You mean being overbearing alpha males?"
"That would be the one. You know sometimes I'd…" She stopped, taking her own moment to decide how much she wanted to share and then gave a little shrug, and Tess couldn't help feeling honoured as she continued- these weren't easy truths to disclose but already she could feel a bond forming between them, the shared experience bringing them closer. For better or for worse. "If I was in the bathroom for too long, I'd find Adam waiting outside to make sure I was okay, even if it was the middle of the night."
"Jay picked the lock one time."
Truthfully she'd been surprised he hadn't broken down the door, and had been unable to do anything but laugh when he'd later admitted Mouse had stopped him from doing so by opening it with a butter knife instead; normally both men were good at giving her space but there were moments there wasn't a line either wouldn't cross if they thought there was a chance they could make her feel better. And that particular night… Jay had shown her there wasn't anything he wouldn't do to help her.
"He seems really happy with you. I think more than I've ever seen him."
The genuineness in Kim's voice made her cheeks burn, or maybe that was her admission but either way Tess dipped her chin, right before she grinned. "He is very brooding, isn't he?"
"He's got a good glower."
"Ha! He really does."
"What're you ladies laughing about?" They turned to find Adam standing in the doorway, though she'd heard the heavy footsteps and known he was coming; him or Voight but the Sergeant had a far more militant gait than his youngest officer, than any of them but Jay really.
"Jay's glower." Kim informed him, both women laughing again when he smirked.
"Oh, you mean the one where he looks like the brooding hero in one of your romance books?"
"That's the one." Tess cut in as Kim shot her own glare at Adam, no doubt for revealing something she thought was embarrassing. Not that Tess cared- she'd have to show the woman her own collection of adult rated novels sometime.
"Can we help you with something?"
"Kot's upstairs. He's got some questions for you." Adam said with a nod in her direction, though he didn't stop grinning at Kim.
"Good. I've got the answers."
"I'm sure you do."
Tess could feel the silent conversation that passed between them as they led her back upstairs but she didn't pay it any attention, focusing instead on how she wanted to deal with the State's Attorney. Steve Kot had a long history with Intelligence, from overlooking some of their lighter transgressions to refusing to budge on others, any frustrations on either end tempered by the fact that Intelligence was responsible for putting away the man who had killed Kot's daughter. He had a reputation for being fair, passionate, and successful. And a stickler for the rules.
Thankfully this time she hadn't had to break any.
He and Voight were waiting in the bullpen and she met them with an easy smile and a light but firm handshake, looking between them as Adam and Kim settled at their desks, the latter trying to look like she wasn't listening, the former not so much.
"Sergeant Voight tells me you have a way to track the people responsible for this? Through the Tor network?" The attorney's arched brow said clear enough that he was doubtful but his knowledge of the difficulty of the task showed how good he was at his job.
She just had to make sure he understood how good she was.
"I do. I have a program that's designed to cut through the encryption levels rather than going through each individual relay- from there it piggybacks on the message back to the original source."
The brow went higher but his mouth pursed. "I don't like using new technology. Even if things go smoothly it can make the jury uncomfortable, not to mention we know what happens when it doesn't."
The look he shared with Voight had her blood heating but with a quiet breath she cooled it, though nothing was able to stop the ache that hit her heart. When Jay had called her this morning she hadn't even thought about what had happened with Marcus West, the man he had falsely imprisoned only a few months ago based on the results of bad facial recognition software. The man who had been subsequently killed in prison and whose wife had shot Jay when he'd confessed to her, after they'd been abducted by the drug dealers the woman had turned to for work when her husband died. The whole situation had been a shit show, not to mention heart wrenching for Jay who'd only been trying to do his job, trying to save children from being hurt and help the family of the man he had accidentally wronged. She knew that he had faith in her but to call her in on a case that was so similar so soon…
She wouldn't let him down.
"My program has been tested and approved for exactly this kind of situation."
"By whom?"
"DARPA."
This time Kot's and Voight's brows rose and a glance showed that Kim's and Adams' were just as high but she didn't care. Tess would never go so far as to say her tech was 100% accurate and unbiased, only the extremely arrogant did that but it was as close as it could be and she needed these people to know it could be trusted. To know she could be.
"You're telling me the U.S Military doesn't mind you using their property?" Kot asked dubiously.
"I retain the full rights to my intellectual property. I'll forward you the paperwork so you can verify." Tess flashed another easy smile as she took out her phone and when she caught the slight upward tick of Voight's lips she let it grow, even exchanging a sly glance with Adam when Kot's phone dinged, only half distracted by the information popping up on her own screen. "Do you need anything else or are we good to proceed?"
Kot stared at her and then down at his phone, over to Voight and then back to his phone before finally back to her, taking her in for a long moment before he nodded slowly. "You're good to go. I'll draw up what you need- I assume you'll be sending anything out of state to the appropriate departments?"
"I will."
"Good." Voight cut in as he took a step towards her. "As soon as you get something-"
"Already do." Everyone paused once more as she gave her phone a little shake. "6470 North Olympia Ave. Home of Susan Fleming, formerly Beth Scott, formerly, and originally, Alice Brenson. Looks like she aged out of the system at eighteen and has been trying to climb the social ladder ever since- I can run her financials and associates but it doesn't look like she owns any other properties so it's a good bet the kids are with her."
Now it was Voight's turn to stare, more surprised than she expected he'd been in a long time but just as perceptive, proving her right when he huffed as he caught her enjoyment at that before he nodded. "Do it."
With a final look to Kot the Sergeant turned to go and Kim and Adam hurried to follow, though not so fast they didn't each shoot her impressed grins first. Those smiles…
They made her heart warm and her gut tighten.
"What did you say your name was again?"
She turned to find the attorney still watching her, that blonde brow still perfectly arched, and gave him another grin. "Theresa Danvers."
"Pleasure." He said slowly before he too turned to go, and though it might've been better to stay silent she called after him.
"Don't believe everything you hear about me. Only… 85 percent of it is true."
He looked back over his shoulder and this time the wary disbelief in his eyes held a bright spark of intrigue as he nodded, his head shaking lightly as he continued down the stairs. Tess watched him go and then looked around the empty bullpen, allowing herself four long, deep breaths as she took it in. In the silence the sound of the shuffling paperwork and ringing phones that would normally fill the space was deafening, the tapping feet and popping gum forming an appealing melody while all the witty banter and heated exchanges and quiets moments of solidarity brought the harmony to life, and in the middle of it all was her. It felt nice.
Dangerously nice.
It was an effort to wait patiently, more than it should've been and if Tess hadn't felt like she had to stay she would've been gone as soon as Voight and the others pulled out of the lot. If she'd had something to do maybe it wouldn't have been so bad but since she was letting her programs do the work that meant she was left lingering by the computer, her fingers itching to track Jay and his team as they made their way back to the precinct, as they made their way through it, but she managed to. To wait, not hold off on tracking them but even knowing how it had gone she still found herself scanning Jay for any kind of injury as they finally filed into the bullpen, anything beyond the rage that had yet to cool behind his hunter eyes. Hopefully what she had to share would bank the rest of it.
"What else you got?" Voight asked as he came to a stop in front of her, everyone else settling by their desks except for Jay who went around his Sergeant to stand at her side- if the older man noticed his detective's fingers brush against hers he gave no indication so Tess gave none back, returning the gentle caress even as she nodded.
She liked his assumption that she had more.
"Alice has a younger sister- Marcie Brenson, now going by Katherine Hault. She lives a few blocks south from her sister and judging by their cell histories Brian was spending most of his time there."
"They were dating?"
She nodded in response to Kim's question, sharing the officer's disgust. The things people did for love. Or to feel loved.
"It looks like Marcie was the one to bring Becca in; their social media accounts show they were friends but I'm not sure how close they were or how she feels about her being killed. From everything I've seen Alice is the one in charge so that may be something you can leverage. Platt sent patrol to grab her up- she gave them a bit of a chase, apparently threw someone's falafel at Caminetto-" She had to pause when Adam let out a bark of laughter and though he quickly quieted himself she caught him sharing looks with Kim and Kevin, who had worked patrol with the beat cop and were also holding back smiles. To be fair, it was funny- the look on the officer's face when the sandwich slapped against his chest had been priceless. "They're on their way back now. Kot says there's enough evidence that they'll both be going away for a long time, so hopefully their sisterly bond is strong."
There were a few more chuckles but she kept her eyes on Voight, watching the way he took the information in. He looked pleased that things had been wrapped up so nicely if not still a little surprised by it but there was a hardness that stayed in his gaze, his deep sense of justice, and she wondered what he would think when he heard what else she had found. He didn't seem like the kind of man whose stomach turned easily but twenty years in the gang unit had that scale tipping in a certain direction, and not the one most people would expect of such a brusque, old school white cop.
"What about the rest of the kids? How many were you able to find?"
Her ears practically rang from the hoarseness in Jay's voice and this time Tess couldn't find it in her to care if anyone was looking as she brushed her fingers against his; it was a tiny piece of comfort, but it did seem to help. And so did her answer.
"All of them. In an… I'm not going to say positive because it's equally as disturbing but in a surprising turn of events none of the kids were sold to traffickers, or from what I've been able to tell anyone with even remotely peddy vibes."
Most of them chose to ignore Adam as he, quietly this time, echoed her but amidst the confusion she caught Jay's lips twitch with the barest smile and had to hold back the shudder of relief that ran through her. It had been hard these last few days, watching from the sidelines as he worked this case, wanting to offer her help and yet desperately not wanting to get involved. Wanting to keep at least some lines drawn. But looking at him now she knew that wasn't an option. Not this line anyway.
Because for this, for the victims of these vile crimes and the heartrending look it put on his face there wasn't anything she wouldn't do.
"So then what happened to them?"
"They were sold to rich white families who wanted a black child without the aggravation of going through the adoption process."
It was an awful, still kind of silence that filled the room when she answered Voight. On the one hand there was relief in knowing none of the children had been hurt, had been violated in that most heinous way but this… it was a whole other level of fucked up. Kevin and Vanessa felt it the hardest but it was clear the rest of their team shared their disgust just as fiercely, the quiet tightening of knuckles taking over the silence, shortly followed by Kevin's deep baritone, his normally warm voice now filled with bitterness as he pinned his gaze on her.
"You got enough on them?"
"I do. And if any of them try to wriggle their way out… well let's just say there'll be a lot of skeletons tumbling out of closets. Hypothetically, of course."
To help lighten the mood she shot Voight a little wink and he huffed in response, half smirking even as his eyes ran over her, no longer just appreciation in his gaze but a hint of admiration now too. It was a good thing, a sign that he was learning what she was capable of, that she was a friend and not a foe, that hopefully his team would follow his lead and start to trust her but it still felt like someone reached into her gut, took a tight grip on her intestines, and squeezed. Hard.
The closer she got to them, the closer they got to her… there were so many lines. And suddenly Tess wasn't so sure how easy it was going to be to ride them.
"I'll let you get back to it. I've transferred all the files to your computers, so you have everything you need. Kot said to give him a call as well, he'll fill you in on the logistics."
Voight nodded but didn't move, his eyes staying locked on her bar the briefest flick over to Jay before he nodded again and like it was a signal his whole team straightened, their stares now fixed on her as well. "Thank you. I'm not sure what we would've done on this one without you."
It didn't look like he liked the taste of that coming out of his mouth which made her appreciate even more that he'd still said it, not to mention it made it easier for her to smile back at him. "You would have figured something out. You're pretty resourceful- for cops."
Thank goodness for Adam.
His next bark of laughter didn't cut through all the tension in the room but it removed a huge chunk of it, making it easier for Kim and Kevin to join in, even Vanessa cracking a smile but Hailey… she'd caught the reminder.
Good for that too.
Before Tess started to delve any deeper into the whispers that were no longer so quiet she grabbed the butchers' bag she'd taken out from the fridge from Jay's desk, pausing to give his arm a gentle squeeze and to take comfort in the trust and relief in his eyes, which were almost back to their natural mossy green, then shot the rest of the group one last smile as she made for the stairs, pausing one more time when Kim called after her.
"Hey- enjoy your lunch."
The warmth in the woman's smile only intensified the apprehension and affection that were warring inside her but she returned it, dipping her head to her once more. "You too."
