BLUE BLOODS: RETURN TO DUTY
CHAPTER 7
54TH PRECINCT DETECTIVE SQUAD:
Saturday, April 8, 2016: 9:35 a.m.
Joe read through the reports and Danny's notes.
"Maria, what exactly did Danny say to you before you headed out to meet up with Erin?" Joe inquired.
"He wouldn't tell me what it was, but he said that he thought she could help and that it may also have to do with why Nicky had been attacked two nights before."
Joe looked over at Erin. "Nicky was attacked?"
Jamie explained what had happened and how Nicky had insured her attacker received the worst of the encounter.
Joe smiled. "How many times did Danny and I instill in all of you how to watch what was going on around you and how to respond if you were put in that situation?"
"Well, it sure worked because my daughter kicked some serious butt." Erin grinned.
"I think I know what Danny was going to talk to you about." Jamie noted.
"What?" Erin asked.
"Look at the first five victims. What do they have in common?" He asked.
"Nothing that we could determine." Maria said.
"Wrong, Danny figured it out. Five people from five different socioeconomic backgrounds, who lived in five different areas of Manhattan, and only Manhattan, four different races, varying ages and occupations, both sexes, and seemingly no prior contact with one another, what does that look like to you?" Jamie asked.
"A New York County jury" Erin responded.
"Exactly." Jamie nodded and turned to Baez. "Someone's knocking off jurors and when you said that it looked like the sixth victim, the lawyer failed to get someone off, that was the missing piece and it all clicked for Danny."
"And that's why Danny was coming to see me, to get access to the jury records to see whose trial they served on." Erin replied.
"But who would know Danny was onto this? The only person we confided in was Lt. Carver." Maria said.
"Because Danny wasn't the target." Joe remarked as both women curiously looked at him.
"Erin was." Jamie nodded as it all made sense.
"Me?" She inquired.
"You must have been the prosecutor. This was your case. Here, look at the CCTV footage from the bank across the street." Joe stated as he turned on the monitor.
They could clearly see Danny react to something and as he turned to address it, they noticed his right hand pushing Erin away from him at the same time he moved into the line of fire between the shooter and his sister.
"Oh my God, Danny was protecting me" Erin horrifyingly noted.
"And the attempt on Nicky two nights earlier was to also to hurt you, or to compromise you in some way they could get to you." Jamie stated.
Erin closed her eyes and thought. The attorney who was shot was a big mob defense attorney, and images from the trial began to come back to her. She started nodding her head and when she opened her eyes, she shocked them all.
"People of the State of New York versus Phillip Angelo Sanfino." She stated looking directly at Jamie.
Jamie couldn't believe it. "Uncle Phil?" He asked.
Erin looked over at Joe. "Did you know about baby brother's first foray into undercover work?" She asked.
"No, care to enlighten me?" He asked, whereupon Erin explained Jamie's venture into the world of Noble Sanfino, Johnny Tessla, the Cappazari and Sanfino crime families, and Escalade Bobby, capped off with his pièce de résistance move of swallowing the evidence.
"I thought we cured you of that nasty habit?" Joe inquired of his younger brother.
"It's a gift." Jamie shrugged.
"How much time did he get?" Joe asked.
"The rest of his natural life." Erin replied.
"Then we need to locate him so that Jamie and I can go pay him a visit." Joe announced, speaking of which….." And Joe began to explain about the Blue Templar's connection to the Sanfinos and Cappazaris, and where his investigation had led him and the reason why he had to go undercover. When he finished, Erin, Jamie, and Maria Baez were speechless.
"So it's come full circle. First, they tried to kill me. Then Jamie, then Erin, but its Danny they actually got to." Joe noted.
"Because he took those bullets that were meant for me." Erin said.
"Just like any one of us would have. You're our sister." Jamie stated as Joe nodded.
Joe picked up his phone and made a phone call.
"Meet us at St. Victors in 30 minutes." He said before hanging up.
"Let's go, we have an appointment with the Commish and I know we all want to check in on Danny." Joe announced.
ST. VICTOR'S HOSPITAL:
I.C.U. WING
Saturday, April 8, 2016: 11:00 a.m.
Linda sat beside Danny holding his hand. He remained in his medically induced coma, and it would be another 28 hours before another set of EEG and CT scans would reveal whether or not the swelling in his brain, and the damage to his left lung had healed to the point he could be revived.
Nicky would be bringing Jack and Sean by later today to visit, but for now Linda wanted some time alone with her Danny.
She knew that as long as Danny remained a cop, this type of event was a possibility, maybe even an eventuality. The family had already lived through the loss of Joe, Erin's shooting, Frank's shooting, her shooting, and Linda lost count as to how many trips to this very hospital alone Jamie had made. If St. Victor's issued frequent guest points Jamie would probably top the list.
Linda started to giggle knowing that if Danny were awake, he would give her one of his smirks and ask her what was so funny.
"I'm just sitting here thinking, that if we gave out frequent guest points like they do in hotels, for the number of visits Jamie has made to this hospital, he could bring Eddie here for a free weekend in a private room complete with hospital food room service and all the movies they could watch." She laughed, failing to notice the large figure which had slipped into the room overhearing her one sided conversation.
"That's about the worst kept secret in the NYPD, Jamie and his partner having the hots for each other." A familiar voice uttered.
Linda looked up to see a face she loved and never thought she would ever see again.
"Oh my God." She uttered.
"Hi Linnie" Joe smiled, using his pet name for his sister-in-law.
Linda stood up and walked over, still not able to believe who she was seeing.
"It's you, it's really you." She asked, reaching out to touch him.
"I'm real and I've come home." He stated before giving her a brief explanation as to where he was, and as to how everything had come full circle.
"So Danny wasn't the target?" Linda asked.
"No, those bullets were meant for Erin and Danny stepped in to protect her." Joe answered.
Linda smiled. "Danny would take a bullet for any of his family, but especially you, Jamie, or Erin. There's always been something about you four that no matter how much Danny loves me and our kids." She left the rest unsaid.
"It's the way we grew up together, you know that." Joe replied.
"I know, and I wish he would wake up so that he could know you're back with us. He missed you so much, and he really needed you to help him with Jamie, and be an uncle to Jack and Sean, and help with Nicky too." She stated.
"He will wake up and when he does, I'll be right here. I'm staying in New York City and I am back with the NYPD."
Joe went over and kissed his brother on the forehead. In the meantime, Jamie and Erin had entered, each giving Linda a hug. She watched as the three siblings surrounded their big brother and each touched or held a different part of him as they all softly spoke.
She smiled knowing that if he were conscious, Danny would push them all away, embarrassed at all the attention, but right now, whether he knew it or not, he was drawing strength from the three most important people in his life, and that didn't include her or their sons.
After a few moments, they all stepped back and each returned to Linda to give her a group hug, and then they were gone.
They were now on a mission to avenge their brother.
Down the hall in a private family waiting area, waited Frank, Henry, and Maria Baez.
When Joe walked in Henry rose up and walked over to his middle grandson.
"You son of a bitch" He smiled as he leaned in to hug Joe.
"Missed you too Pops." Joe replied hugging him back.
"Let me look at you. Your mother's face and your father's body." Henry noted.
"So what information has your investigation revealed?" Frank inquired.
Jamie filled in his father and grandfather, who were both horrified that their precious Erin was the intended target, and that the attack on Nicky two nights earlier were a prelude event.
Frank looked over at Joe and Jamie. "Seems the Sanfinos just can't leave this family alone."
"It would appear not." Joe replied.
"Perhaps the two of you should have a conversation with Uncle Phil." Frank suggested.
"My thoughts exactly. In fact, I think Erin should join us." Joe responded.
"Are you okay with this?" Frank asked his daughter.
"He had my daughter attacked, my brother shot, and has tried to kill Jamie, Joe, and me, and you ask me if I am okay with this? Trust me, I'm leaving my bar card at home for that visit." She retorted.
"Bet at times like these you wish you had joined the NYPD" Joe teased.
"I would never admit this in front of Danny, and I will deny I ever said this, but yes, there are days I wish I had followed him in the calling, okay, happy now?" She asked.
"I think you would have made the best detective of us all." Jamie said.
"She can certainly out shoot the three of you." Frank noted.
"And she hits harder than the three of us." Joe noted.
"And can out run Joe or Danny." Henry noted.
"Still got you on that one" Jamie grinned at his sister.
"Is there an age limit to sign up, or can the P.C. make an exception and start me off as a Detective First Grade?" Erin joked back.
"Don't tempt me like that." Frank replied, his children knowing he wasn't joking.
"We'll need aviation to run us up to Auburn on Monday." Joe advised his father.
"I'll sign off on it. Make the call." He replied.
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