Thank you, everyone, for your reviews! Glad you're enjoyed that first chapter. Here's chapter 2. It's short, I wanted to put the whole in one but wouldn't be funny if I did. Hope you'll enjoy that one as well.
- You and Lucas are going to do what? – Abe yelled, a few days after when Jo came in the shop to talk to him about her and Lucas's plan, well mostly hers but Lucas was as excited as a kid in Disneyland.
Jo melted a bit on the small couch in the apartment, sipping on her tea.
- Yes… I know…. But truly I can't think of anything else.
Abe raised a brow
- You can't think about…. Jo, what happened to your famous "stay put" rule?
Jo shrugged. Abe rolled his eyes.
- I honestly don't know what to think about it. I know Henry didn't do anything. I know him by heart. He wouldn't have the nerve. The last man he killed had him traumatized enough like this but I don't know how to feel about that plan of yours …
Jo put the cup down and started pacing
- What other choices do we have? The FBI is never going to let this one go. They got Henry on their radar and they won't change their mind. They can be assholes sometimes and trust me, that Muller guy won't hear any of it.
Abe remained silence. He was all for his father to get back at home and prove that he wasn't guilty but Jo's plan was kind of… More than illegal, no one could be mistaken on that.
Toward his long silence, Jo added
- Do you really want to see Henry stuck in prison, forever?
She had a point and she had the thing to point them out. Abe sighed and stood up.
- You're right! I know! I really don't want him to spend the rest of his life out there. Who knows how they could treat him
- exactly!
Abe looked at Jo. She was so bold and determined to prove Henry's innocence. He smiled. A weak smile because if he had to be honest with himself, he was really worried what would happen to his father with that case and indirectly what would happen to Jo.
- But what about the case? How are you going to deal with it?
Jo rubbed two frustrated hands in her hair
- We'll find a way! We always do! But we'll have to work harder and make a list of all the people that could be potential suspects and mostly the ones with a medical background or so. We'll have to dig in our cases from last year see if someone comes up.
She bit her lips in frustration
- And you'll be a gem if you could also give up all the people that have been in contact with Henry in one way or another, acquaintances, friends, whoever that could lead us to the one that is trying to make him like the murderer he's not.
Abe nodded. Just like his father, he knew Adam couldn't be the one responsible. Right now, Abe didn't see anyone that could be a suspect. No one that was in their acquaintances would be able to use Henry's tools like that but it could also be only just a trick.
- So, you're sure you want to do that? – Abe, asked even though he knew the answer. When it came to Henry, Jo wasn't thinking about anything else.
She nodded
- You know I won't let anything happen to him.
Abe felt his heart twisted. He took her hands in his and smiled.
- You know, it's been a while since someone cared like that for him. I just wish he was…
Abe wanted to share how much Henry deserved to tell her the truth about his condition but this was all up to him. Jo frowned
- He was what?
Abe shook his head
- Nothing! You're a very good friend to him, kid…. I hope Henry knows how lucky he is to have you.
Jo blushed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear
- No Abe, I'm the one who's lucky to have him. I'll get him out of here, don't worry.
They hugged each other and Abe squeezed her hand
- Just be careful, please.
Jo nodded, trying not to break down
- I will! I'll keep you updated!
Jo kissed him on the cheek, thanked him for the tea left the old man. Abe sighed
- God, Kid, I hope you know what you're doing.
###
- Is everything settled? – Jo asked Lucas a few days later at the morgue, while Reece and Hanson were busy trying to make calls over calls to get Henry out of prison but they were as much talking to a wall, no one wanted to listen.
The young assistant nervously nodded
- Yes yes! It should be good!
Jo raised a brow
- Should be? Lucas, it's either good or it's not, there's no in between. We can't mess this one up and you know it.
- I know that but I can't guarantee we're 100% safe on that one but I will say, we only got 20% of chance that an error could occur.
Jo folded her arms. She didn't have time for any games. Henry has been in prison for two weeks now and the judge, the FBI and everyone else in the city didn't want to hear his guilt's plaid and the 11th now owned a very bad reputation, so the more Reece was trying to sell Henry's good intentions the more they appeared like they were all as much as suspects. Reece was exasperated, everyone was but Jo and Lucas would soon enough handle all of that.
- So what does that mean? – Jo asked again in a frustrated tone – is this going to work or it's not?
- Again I as I said, it should work.
Jo threw her hands up in the air
- Fine! It should! But you'd better bet your ass it, WILL. Because if something goes wrong, we're all going down with Henry and I'm not only talking about you and I both… Though obviously, the consequences for us would be worst… But let's not think negatively.
Lucas nodded and let out a deep sigh
- You know! I worked very hard on that and I lost a lot of sleep over it! I can't deal with the fact no one wants to listen that Henry is innocent despite all the good things he brought on the cases. It's like the whole city is against him and I find that truly unfair.
Jo weakly smiled
- I know Lucas! I know! That's why he can only count on us. We're his closest friends…
She looked down and Lucas could notice a slight blush on her cheeks. He was wondering how long those two would keep dancing around the other without acting. It's not like everyone hadn't noticed what was going on between them. He cleared his throat and asked her.
- Did you talk to Abe about it?
She nodded
- Yes! He thinks we're crazy but he approves. Just, work with him once… Once everything is done. You'll need each other.
Lucas agreed and checked the time
- I don't know about you but my day ends in one hour. So how are we establishing things?
Jo rubbed her chin
- You go home and you take everything we need. I'll pick you up. I'll send you a text when we're good to go.
She took her phone and quickly scrolled down all over it
- I made sure to check every shift. It's a quiet evening so we should be good but we won't take any risks and we'll do what we talked about, alright?
- Okay!
They both looked at each other, unsure of what that plan of them would bring. Jo never saw Lucas being so concerned and nor that she could blame him.
- Jo! I have to be honest, I'm afraid because there's that small "what if doesn't work" in my mind.
Jo felt her heart beat faster and she agreed
- I would lie to you if I was saying I wasn't afraid! But I'm only doing this for him. I don't care about the afterward, I just live in the present, we'll deal with everything later but Henry hasn't done anything wrong and we know it. That's the only way to protect him from a doomed fate…
Jo thought, 10 years in the job and she always respected everything related to it. She never tried to stand up against the one above her, she never tried anything risky for her career and along with it, someone's else career. In that case Lucas and somehow Henry too.
Lucas read her thoughts. He took a step forward and stood in front of her like he didn't know what to do. Jo raised her watery eyes toward him.
- I know it's wrong but I just… I can't let anything happen to him… I just… He's not like that Lucas, we know he's not, he doesn't deserve this… I…
Lucas rarely saw Jo being so fragile but she was only human just like everyone else was. And he also never witnessed anyone ready to lose everything for someone else. He never saw that kind of love in front of his two eyes. Jo was deeply afraid of the outcome of this, but also she was determined to save the man she loved and he couldn't blame her for that. She had a purpose now and that purpose was Henry. She has been a lost soul, they both were and they found their way to each other and as long as Henry was in her life, nothing else mattered. And he knew, Henry better came clean with her sooner than later.
He shyly wrapped his arms around the detective who didn't push him away or tried to draw her sidearm. She let Lucas dragged her toward him as she felt her tears falling down her cheeks.
He rubbed her back and whispered
- We'll make it work, Jo! I promise. If there's someone that can get Henry out the troubles, it's without a doubt, you.
He felt her smile against him and he knew, tonight he didn't have the right to get anything wrong. The 20% error wasn't going to be a thing.