Chapter 13
The pod footage had come back, and it showed a black SUV waiting at the corner where the victim was found, but not a lot else. The vehicle came back stolen as before and the plate was unreadable. Hank requested patrols canvas and find anyone that had seen something , and DFS came to talk about Keisha. Her story sounded a lot like Kat's. Keisha was in the foster system, but had run away from her latest placement, and was living on the streets . Hank could see Kat was taking this personally, it was almost a mirror of her situation back in the day, but didn't know how to help her.
Kat was actually forming a plan. If she could convince Ken that she had the money he had been after, maybe the team could catch him… hell maybe he would just take her and leave Chicago. She heard a voice say her name and shook her head to clear it. She looked up and saw Jay standing in front of her. "Hey Jay, what's up?"
"Lakeshore called , your records were transferred to Med, and they need your consent before they send them to us. I guess because they were sealed ?" Jay didn't know the story, but when Erin and Kat were picked up by Hank, he had their juvenile and medical records sealed so that no one would know what they had been through.
Kat nodded "No problem. I'll call them now." She went to dial the number when Jay stopped her.
"They said you could go there and they'll just give them to you. I can take you if you want?" he looked down at his feet, not knowing what to say to her. I'm sorry wasn't a strong enough sentiment. He had known she had been through hell before they met, but didn't know the extent of the situation. He probably would never fully know what she endured. He reached out his hand and held hers, squeezing tightly. "Kat, I'm…"
She shook her head and squeezed his hand back, a silent thank you. "I'm okay. I'll get to Med myself, I don't want to take you away from the case. Tell Hank I'll be back soon please?"
"Kat I don't think you should go alone…" Jay tried to stop her but she had already breezed through the bull pen and was down the stairs before he could. "Damn that girl is fast." He muttered to himself and walked back into the bull pen to help the others.
Firehouse 51
Kat pulled up in Hanks car and parked in front of the firehouse. For this plan to work she was going to need back up that didn't include the man she had known as her only father, and the guy she just been intimate with. They were too close, and would never let her do what she needed to catch this creep. So she decided the next best back up would be her firehouse friends. She prayed they were around , and thankfully they hadn't been called away. She snuck in to the truck bay and made her way to the lieutenants quarters. Matt wasn't in his room but Kelly was. She caught a glimpse of him looking over some sort of files. She knocked and waited til he waved her in.
"Kat! What are you doing here? I didn't think you and Antonio would have come up for air today." He gave her a friendly hug "What's going on?"
She blushed but ignored his comment. "I need your help. I'll understand if you say no, but…" she began her story of the case Intelligence caught, and how it linked back to the man who started the fire and had been torturing her for years.
Kelly sat down, shocked. She had told him her general idea, to get ahold of Ken and let him know she had gotten his money, as long as he would leave town. He shook his head, the girl was crazy brave but there was no way she should be doing this. He knew she didn't want to hear that so he tried the next best alternative. "Did you talk to Hank? Antonio? Jay even? They are better equipped to handle this type of thing." She hung her head. "Not that I won't help, just.. They probably should be there right?"
"Kelly this man has killed a 15 year old girl. She was strangled and beaten to death. That was almost me 18 years ago. I can't let him get away with this again. " She shook her head trying to stop the tears from forming. "I have to do this. None of intelligence can help me with this, they are all too close. "
"What, you think we aren't ?" Kelly placed a finger under her chin and brought her face up to meet his. "Kat we all care about you, deeply. I still say you need to tell Voight. There was a line he liked to say… something about always tell me the truth…."
"So I can lie for you." She laughed "Yeah he said that a lot when Erin and I were younger." Her eyes shifted down . "You're right. I'll tell them. Thanks anyway Kelly." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and turned to walk away when he grabbed her arm.
"You don't get away that easily. Tell me your plan, and I'll help however I can."
She grinned and have him a big hug and kiss, and then sat down and roughed out her idea with him. After they talked she realized she had been gone longer than it would take to get her medical records , so she said goodbye and promised to keep him updated. Then she made her way to Med.
Chicago Med
Kat walked into the emergency room, not really sure where to go to get her records. She saw Will walk by so she called out to him.
"Will!" he turned and grinned when he saw it was her.
"Hey Kat! What can I help you with ? You aren't hurt are you ?" he gave her a quick hug.
"Oh no I'm fine . I'm a bit lost, I need to pick up my medical records that were transferred from Lakeshore. Where would I find that department ?"
"Well it gets a bit tricky, why don't I just take you down?" he held out his arm and she laughed, taking it.
"How was the honeymoon?" she winked at him, giggling when he turned the same shade of red as his hair.
"Good." He smiled at the thought. " We missed you at the reception. I'm really sorry you and Jay didn't work out. "
"He's a great guy, and I'm really lucky to have him as a friend. " She felt her phone buzz and pulled it out to look at it. "Speaking of him…" she answered the phone "Hey Jay, what's up?"
"Kat where are you? Hanks about ready to send out search and rescue. " She could hear Hank yelling through the phone .
Kat rolled her eyes at Will, who chuckled. "I'm at Med. I'm with Will right now he's showing me where the records department is. I'll put you on speaker. " She clicked the button "Go ahead."
"Hey Jay. Everything okay?" Will and Kat shared a glance.
"Oh, you actually are there. Okay, no everything's fine…" they could hear bustling around on the other side of the phone. "Yeah so…Hank said you weren't supposed to go anywhere alone, and to get the records and get back here. His words. " He said the last part quietly .
"10-4 Detective. I'll be there in 30." She hung up the phone and they walked into the records department .
"Doctor Halstead, what can I do for you." A woman whose badge read Ann asked him as they walked to the desk.
"Nothing for me thanks . My friend here needs to pick up her medical records." He gestured to Kat to go ahead.
"Yes, Katherin Elaine Bend. Date of birth August 18th, 1982. They were sent over from Lakeshore. "
Ann pulled her hardcopy records and handed them to her. "I just need you to sign these forms and you're all set." Kat signed the paperwork and after another hug and a promise to get together with Nat for coffee she was on her way back to the district.
When Kat walked back in to the station she waved at Trudy who buzzed her up immediately . She got to the top of the stairs and stopped , all eyes were staring at her. She knew she was in trouble when she heard "KATIE MY OFFICE" being bellowed across the room. She sighed and made her way over.
"Open or…" she didn't finish the sentence, she just shut the door and took a seat. She noticed Hank was pacing, which he usually didn't do. "I went to get the medical records." She said in a lame attempt to get him to calm down. She held them out to him, and he ignored her. "I also went to 51. I needed to talk to Kelly about something . I was perfectly fine, no tails."
He finally stopped pacing and stared at her. "We have another body. A 17 year old girl named Calista Jones. They found her at the Roosevelt Hotel. Sound familiar?"
Kat closed her eyes. The same hotel she met Hank for the first time. "I remember." She spoke barely above a whisper . She took a deep breath trying to gather the courage for what she was about to say. "Dad, I have a plan."
Kelly walked up the steps into Intelligence with Trudy by his side. He exchanged hugs and hellos with everyone in the bullpen, and Trudy went back downstairs.
"What are you doing here ? " Antonio gave him a fist bump.
"I'm surprised you made it in today." Kelly responded, laughing at the look on Antonio's face. "Kat came by the firehouse earlier , said she needed my help with something . I told her to talk to you guys first, I wanted to make sure she did." He glanced around and saw Hanks door closed. "Guessing she's talking to Hank." He took a seat on the corner of one of the desks and waited with the team. They all jumped when Hanks door flew open and he stormed out, ignoring everyone. A few seconds later Kat came out. Her eyes were red, she had been crying.
Antonio didn't care what people thought or said, he rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. "What happened ?"
She shook her head "He's pissed at me. I told him what I plan to do, and he doesn't agree." She squeezed Antonio around the waist and then backed up, looking at the faces of the Intelligence team. "Guys I care about all of you. If you can't help me I understand completely . But Hank knows, I'm doing this either way. "
"Doing what Darlin?" Adam asked and the others nodded . She looked into Antonio's eyes before responding.
"I'm offering myself up as bait."
The whole room erupted into chaos and anger. A lot of "No way!" And "hell NO " comments were made. Kat just shook her head and held up her hand to quiet down the room. " I already called some of my old "friends" that may know how to get ahold of Ken. They are letting him know I have his money, and want to meet. It's done. I am catching this bastard." She balled her fists at her sides, trying to avoid crying again. "He can't keep getting away with this. When it was just me? It was one thing. But he's killed two girls. The same ages Erin and I were when we worked for him. He's taunting me… and Hank." She explained the second victim had been found in the hotel she met Hank at the night that he took them under his wing, and the significance of the corner where the first victim was found. "I can't allow this to keep going . I HAVE to do something." She saw Kelly standing near one of the desks. "You going to help, or are you going to try and talk me out of it too?" she directed towards him.
He shook his head. "I'm here as back up, however you need me."
"Kat." Antonio started but she cut him off by pulling him to the side.
"Please, don't try and convince me not to do this. Its going to happen whether you all help or not. I just need someone watching my back." She have him a pleading look, and he held both hands up in surrender.
Hank came back about that time, still angry but his face showed he knew he wouldn't change her mind. He walked past the group and stood next to the door of his office duffel bag in hand, trying to come up with a good excuse why she shouldn't do this and couldn't. She was the one with the history and relationship with the man. She was right, as much as he didn't want to admit it . "Okay, here's the plan." Hank spoke up and everyone else stopped their conversations to listen. He dropped the bag he was holding on the nearest desk. "Katie will be taking this money to meet with Ken. We do not move in until she is clear of him, period. " He went over the plan , reiterated that she was to lure him out only and not to be left alone with him for longer than absolutely necessary.
While they were talking Kat felt her phone buzz , so she stepped away to check it. An unknown caller came up on the ID. "Hello?"
"KittyKat." She immediately waved her hand at the group who stopped talking , so she put the phone on speaker.
"Ken. It's been a while. "
"5 years. You finally have what I've been waiting for all this time?"
Kat closed her eyes , fighting back nausea. The man made her physically ill, and she was having a hard time keeping calm . "Yes, I have your money. Where can we meet?"
"Not so fast KittyKat… I'm supposed to believe you scraped together 10 grand ? After all these years ? What you win the lottery ?" Ken teased her.
She felt Antonio grab her hand and squeeze, giving his silent moral support. "Yeah, you could say that . Where do you want to meet?"
"How about our place. 10 pm. By the way, let me just remind you… I own you. So don't be stupid and call the cops or anything." With that he disconnected the call.
Kat felt her knees buckle and she would have hit the ground if it hadn't been for Antonio holding on to her. He helped her sit in the nearest chair, and knelt in front of her, holding her hands. "We will get him, I promise you Kat."
Kat glanced at Hank , who immediately recognized the look she was giving him. "Katie, no."
"I have to Hank. I know where he's talking about, I have to go alone."
Everyone else in the room disagreed. "Where ever it is, I can watch from above." Claimed Jay. "I'm a damn good sniper, it'll be over quick. "
"Where is the place he's referring to?" Kevin asked.
"Navy pier. We used to go there, when he was in a good mood. Erin and I loved the Ferris wheel." She semi smiled at the thought.
"There will be a lot of civilians around , even at that time of night. We should be able to blend in pretty well. "Antonio said.
"I can get the guys to come too. Just for more help, since it's a pretty large area to cover." Kelly commented . "We won't get in your way." He turned towards Hank.
"Tell your men thanks." Hank walked over and shook Kelly's hand. "We can use all the help we can get."
Kelly nodded, and after giving Kat a hug he left to fill 51 in on what the plan was.