Windy City Memories Finale: Caught in the Rat Trap

The Merlaut Hotel
Mad Mile
8:30 PM

After getting ahold of Rose Washington's official CPD Missing Persons report, Harrison had closely studied its details intermittently throughout the day. By 8:30 that night, the meticulous homicide detective had ostensibly memorized the contents of the report.

Rose Washington was a 34-year-old white female who worked as a longtime program developer for the Blume Corporation. Like Aiden Pearce and others before her, Rose was an instrumental player in the initial development of the program that would later become the widespread CtOS system that it was now.

However, as noted in the official statement taken from Rose's older sister, Rose had become rather troubled when she discovered the blatant privacy breaches in the CtOS system. She later confided in her sister about her concerns six weeks earlier, and supposedly was in the process of trying to alert Blume to these egregious errors when she disappeared. As of yet, there had been no further sightings of nor contact from Rose.

Detective Harrison, dressed in a black cotton dinner jacket, formal white cotton shirt, prim and proper black slacks, and matching shoes per Aiden Pearce's request, sat in his parked unmarked black Chevrolet Impala LTZ police car in the parking garage of the very upscale Merlaut Hotel, located in Chicago's Mad Mile. His cell phone rang just as he was setting the Rose Washington case file folder on his front seat. As he had expected, it was Aiden Pearce.

"Okay Aiden", he answered in a very clear-cut tone, "You want to tell me why the hell you asked me to meet you here at this big, swanky-ass hotel after dark?"

"You're familiar with Lucky Quinn, right?" Pearce asked from his end of the line, "The alleged head of the Chicago South Club?"

Harrison scoffed in response. "There's no 'alleged' about it", he replied, "Both the CPD's Organized Crime Section and the FBI have been trying to nail Quinn and the South Club on various charges for years but couldn't make anything stick."

"He ordered the attack on me and Clara that blew up our motel", Pearce said, "He tried to go after Nicky and Jackson, too to try and get at me. He's here for a party tonight."

"Okay", Harrison replied, "I take it's that's why you asked me to dress up like a damn penguin. What does this have to do with this whole 'Rose Washington' thing you asked me to inquire about?"

"I've always had a hunch that Mayor Rushmore had ties to Quinn", Pearce explained, "And I think that both Rushmore and Quinn may be involved with Rose Washington's disappearance. You're one of the only cops in this city that I actually trust."

Harrison scoffed once again. "I'm flattered", Harrison said, "Alright, Aiden. You do what you have to do. I'll infiltrate the party and hang back, but I'll be right there if you need me."

"Thanks", Pearce said, "You're a good guy, Detective."

"I don't agree with all of your methods", Harrison candidly replied, "But I could say the same about you. Good luck and be careful. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Got it", Pearce said, "Keep your phone on and use your earpiece. We can give each other fair warning if shit goes South."

"Good idea", Harrison said, "See you inside." The two promptly hung up.

Harrison discreetly made his way inside the hotel and upstairs to Mayor Rushmore's swanky party. He slipped into the back of the audience as Mayor Donovan Rushmore was giving a very bland, seemingly self-serving speech that ironically endorsed Dermot "Lucky" Quinn, as if the latter was a valid businessman and not the cold, sadistic crime boss that essentially everyone in Chicago secretly knew he was. Quinn stood on a landing just opposite the Mayor as he continued speaking.

"Holy shit", Harrison softly said to Pearce through his phone, "I always heard that Chicago had a reputation for being a bit shady, but this is a bit on the nose. You've got a friggin' crime boss being endorsed and talked up by the Mayor."

As Mayor Rushmore concluded his speech, the detective observed Quinn start to walk off into a room adjacent to the stairway that had served as the Mayor's makeshift stage. "Aiden", Harrison said to Pearce, "Looks like Lucky Quinn is trying to slip out of the festivities. What do you want me to do?"

"Try and get closer", Pearce instructed through his end of the line, "It looks like Rushmore will be following him shortly, so I'll follow them too. Stay nearby, but don't bring too much attention to yourself."

"Copy that", Harrison said. He then found a tall, burly, tuxedo-clad African-American man near the elevator. The man's visible radio earpiece indicated to Harrison that he was a security guard.

"Detective Harrison, Chicago PD", Harrison said to the man as he displayed his badge to him, "I'm responding to a reported Nineteen-Paul at this location. What room is opposite that stairway where the Mayor just spoke?" The detective hoped that the guard either didn't know or didn't immediately realize that a "19-Paul" was actually one of the generalized CPD radio codes for a disturbance.

"There's a multipurpose lounge and office area over there", the guard said, "Do you need any assistance?"

"I've got it from here", Harrison confidently replied, "Thank you, though."

Harrison then quietly made his way through the edge of the crowd, hugging one of the large room's side walls until he reached the stairs headed toward the indicated multipurpose room. "Okay Aiden", he said to Pearce, "I'm right near the stairs where Rushmore and Quinn just were. You got them on the cameras?"

"Yeah", Pearce replied from his end of the line, "They're having a conversation now. Stay put and stand by."

Meanwhile, Aiden Pearce had successfully hacked the hotel's cameras and was watching Rushmore and Quinn's interaction in the back multipurpose area.

"I want out", Rushmore's filtered voice said through the camera feed, "Hear me? I want out from this."

"Think I have time for more of your whining?" Quinn coldly replied.

"Gang shootings?" Rushmore said, "And that God forsaken auction fiasco. You've made both of us targets!"

"You wanted to be Mayor", Quinn cut him off, "Do your bloody job. You'll say what I told you to say: 'Your men took out Iraq', 'Our fine Mayor battling gang crime'. Rose would be so proud."

"How dare you?" an angrily stunned Rushmore retorted, "Give me that damn video!"

"You're out when a say you're out", Quinn icily said, "You gave your speech, now please leave my hotel. I have more important matters than you."

"You've ruined me!" a now crushed Rushmore replied, "Are you listening to me, Lucky?" He said his foe's nickname with disturbingly bold emphasis.

Aiden watched as Quinn walked away and summoned an interior elevator. "Okay Detective", he said to Harrison through his phone, "It's safe for you to get a little closer."

"Copy", Harrison said from his end of the line. Pearce watched as the detective crept through the center of the room.

Meanwhile, Harrison was startled to find a man making out with a topless woman just beyond the back wall of the room. He displayed his badge to them. "CPD", he said to them in an unphased tone, "Get dressed and exit this room now!"

The amorous couple did as Harrison had instructed and hustled out of the room while remaining unseen to either Quinn or Rushmore; the topless woman now loosely covered by her shirt. "The back half of the room is clear", Harrison whispered, "I had to remove a couple getting a little freaky-sneaky. Rushmore and Quinn are still here."

"Got it", Pearce replied, "I'm going to try and breach the hotel's security system. Stay put."

Within seconds, Pearce had successfully breached the system. "Shit!" Pearce exclaimed, "Quinn's trying to get to Clara!"

"We need to finished what we started, Aiden", Harrison softly said in a reassuring tone, "Keep going and I promise you I'll cover your ass so you can get to Clara. But first things first."

A loud airhorn-style alarm then sounded, startling Harrison. "Damn!" He exclaimed, "What the hell is that?"

"I breached the main security system", Pearce explained, "It's linked to an alarm. I think we'll be getting some company up there pretty soon."

A now very irritated Harrison groaned. "Fine", he replied, "I'll try and hold some of them off, but as always, you do what you have to do."

The detective then reached for his portable radio which had been clipped to the waistband of his pants. Since it was apparently now time for "cover-your-ass" mode, he had an idea. "Thirty-Four-Henry-Edward to Squad", he said into the radio, "Be advised, we have a possible Code Fourteen-Nora at the Merlaut Hotel. Building security is reporting a possible security system breach and a possible intruder in the building. I'm off-duty and in plain clothes on scene, requesting back up, over."

"Copy that, Thirty-Four-Henry-Edward", the voice of a female dispatcher replied, "We acknowledge your request and information. Three area units are on the way at this time, ETA three to five minutes, over."

"Copy that, Squad", Harrison said, "I'll stand by for backup. Thirty-Four-Henry-Edward out."

Harrison knew that things would it look too suspicious if OEMC detected the security alarm on their end and heard no acknowledgement from him, what with his car's GPS position being visible to them on their computers as being parked at the Merlaut. He had also hoped that the influx of arriving cops downstairs would overburden the security guards, thereby taking some of the heat and pressure off of Aiden Pearce.

Harrison stayed put for a few additional minutes until he heard gunshots coming from the floor above him. "Fuck", he muttered under his breath as he drew his handgun with one hand and grabbed his radio once again with the other. "Thirty-Four-Henry-Edward", he said into the radio, "Be advised, I have shots fired at the hotel. Tell those units to step it up, please!" He had no time to await a reply as he shut off his radio and headed upstairs.

By the time he barreled through the door leading to the rooftop, Harrison discovered that Pearce had successfully neutralized several enemies. Noting an open door on the far side of the roof that apparently led back inside the building, he carefully sidestepped toward it. "Aiden", Harrison said quietly into the phone, "I'm on the roof. Where are you?"

He got no answer as he crept into the hallway, tactically scanning the room with his gun out in case there were any armed suspects about. Finding none, he crept forward until he reached a final office area, where he encountered Pearce.

"Aiden!" Harrison sharply whispered.

Pearce waved him away. "Stay back", he whispered, "I've got eyes on Quinn."

Though apprehensive and worried about what Pearce might do, the detective holstered his weapon, nodded affirmatively, and stood in the doorway.

Pearce then remotely activated a set of security shutters, sending a false wall retracting away and revealing Lucky Quinn encased in a secure panic room by a huge wall of Plexiglass.

Harrison, meanwhile, watched as Quinn and Pearce carried out a long and drawn-out conversation over the damage and pain that the former had enacted on the latter. He then was startled to realize that Pearce had apparently hacked the man's pacemaker, causing his heart rate to slow.

"Shit!" Harrison said as he stepped further into the room, "Aiden, what the fuck are you doing, man?"

Pearce extended an arm, trying to block Harrison from coming any closer as Quinn's heartrate slowed to a very dire state. Quinn then showed a video of Mayor Rushmore attacking and killing Rose Washington. "Jesus!" Harrison muttered as he watched the video.

Pearce stepped back beside Harrison, aimed his phone at Quinn one last time and pressed the button, stopping the pacemaker outright. Dermot "Lucky" Quinn was finally dead.

Harrison wretched and put a hand over his mouth as the harsh reality of what Pearce had just done had dawned on him. "Holy shit", he said to Pearce in between gags.

"Quinn's dead", Pearce said to him, "This is the part where I'm supposed to say that I feel empty, right? I'd be lying to myself. I finally feel awake, like I can breathe again. And Lena? Well, nothing can change her death. But maybe I can still do something that can make a difference."

Harrison coughed away the impulse to vomit as he wiped the sickly sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his dinner jacket. "Rise and shine, Aiden!" he barked, "You just killed a man and there's three units worth of CPD making their way here as we speak. You'd better disappear, man. I mean it. I'll just say that I never found anybody here."

"Rushmore needs to answer for what he did to Rose", Pearce replied, "Just let me have someone upload the video to the news and I'll split."

Harrison sighed before nodding in agreement. "Hurry the fuck up, dude."

Pearce then called someone he addressed as "T-Bone", telling him he would be sending him the incriminating video.

"Mister Quinn?" A male voice called from behind the closed door, "Mister Quinn?"

Harrison waved Pearce away, and the hacker hurried out the secondary exit door.

The detective then opened the door, only to be met by several uniformed CPD patrol officers and building security guards pointing gun barrels at him. "Whoa! Whoa!" Harrison said as he held up his badge, "Chicago Police. I got here first. Somebody had better call an ambulance."

[A/N: We're finally getting to the end of the road with this one, folks! I'm going to post an epilogue tomorrow that should tie up any loose ends. Stay tuned!]