Author's Notes: Hapy belated Halloween, everyone. LOL Better late than never, right? As always I want to thank everyone who has read and/or reviewed this story. I'm always grateful and appreciative. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)
Two years ago
2nd Sunday in August
Bobby's Apartment
"Do you have everything?" Bobby asked. Angel made one more sweep of the spare bedroom before she looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. I think I have everything." He smiled as he grabbed the handle of her suitcase and walked out of the bedroom, rolling the large case behind him. "Bobby, you don't have to pull that thing. I can do that." He stopped in front of the door, shaking his head as he turned around to look at Angel. "I've got this. You just lock the door," he said with smile.
It was 12:55 p.m. Bobby and Angel were headed to the airport. Angel was leaving New York City to head back home to Nashville, TN after having been there since April. Her flight didn't take off until 4:45 that afternoon, but they were leaving early so that she could get through security without too much of a hassle.
Angel rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever, dude," she said with a laugh as she followed Bobby out of the apartment. She closed the door behind her, locking it with the key he had given her. She smiled up at him as she dropped the key into his open hand. "You sure you don't want to keep it?" he asked teasingly as they walked down the hall towards the elevator. She laughed and shook her head. "I'm sure. Thank you." Bobby pushed the down button and the elevator doors instantly opened. He hung back a little to let Angel step through the doors first before he got on. They rode down to the first floor in comfortable silence.
The silence continued in the cab ride to the airport. Angel was staring out of the window. Bobby was looking out of the window as well, but he would sneak glances at her every now and then. "Did you have a good time?" he asked softly. She nodded her head as she turned to look at him. "Despite the fact that T.J. died, I had a great time being here. Being with you," she said. Bobby smiled as he put his arm around Angel's shoulders. She sighed contently as she put her head on his shoulder.
Bobby and Angel maintained their comfortable silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. When they reached the airport, Angel gave the money to the cab driver while Bobby took her suitcase out of the trunk. He sighed heavily. "Why did you do that? I was going to pay for the cab," he said. She chuckled as they walked into the airport and got into the baggage check-in line. "I know you're an old fashioned gentleman and all, but I don't mind paying my own way, you know," she said. Bobby just grunted as he placed the suitcase on the scale.
Bobby walked with Angel all the way to the beginning of the security line. She turned around and smiled at him. "This is it," she said. He nodded. "Yeah, it is," he said. She bit her bottom lip as she looked at the ground. When she looked back up at him, Angel had tears in her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you, Bobby." A small smile spread across Bobby's face as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm gonna miss you, too, Angel." They held onto each other for a few minutes. Bobby was the first one to let go.
"You've got my e-mail address and cell phone number, right?" Bobby asked. Angel nodded as she wiped away her tears. "You've got my info, too?" she asked. He nodded. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before taking a step back. Angel smiled, then turned around to enter the security line. "Call me when you get there," Bobby said. Angel looked back and said, "I will. Send me an e-mail sometime." "I will."
Bobby stood there and watched Angel as she made her way through security. When she had finally gone all the way through the line, she turned around and waved at him. He waved back, then turned around and walked out of the airport. He sighed heavily as he got into a cab. He thought to himself, "I miss her already."
Thursday, August 24
Hudson Medical Center
Angel's Room, 5:01 a.m.
"That's what frightens me," Angel thought to herself. "You giving up your life for mine. I don't know if I can handle that." She held onto Bobby tighter, afraid that he would disappear if she let go. Bobby sensed that Angel was worried about something just by the small shift in her body. "Angel, look at me," he said softly. She flat out refused by shaking her head. She winced at the pain that that simple motion caused. Bobby sighed heavily as he squeezed her a little more tighter. "Please, sweetheart, don't be scared. You've got to trust me."
Angel pulled back a little to look up at Bobby, tears falling down her face. He smiled at her as he wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Do you trust me?" he asked. She slowly nodded and said, "With my life." He kissed her forehead and said, "Good. Let's get you back into bed." She let go of him and grabbed onto the I.V. pole. Bobby made a move as if he was going to pick Angel up, but she shook her head. "No. I'll walk," she said softly.
Angel managed very slowly to get herself turned around in the direction of her bed. Bobby was by her side as she took her first step in the long walk to the bed. "You should let me carry you to the bed," he said. She shook her head again. As they were walking to the bed, Janelle woke up. She sat up, yawning and stretching to her full 5 foot 9 inch frame. Her eyes widen in surprise when she saw Angel. She reached behind her and started shaking Drew. "Drew! Drew! Drew! She's awake. Baby Girl's awake!" Drew scowled as he sat up on the rollaway bed. A big smile broke out on his face when he saw Angel.
Angel stopped when she saw Drew and Janelle were awake. "Drew, go get the nurse," Janelle said as she stood up and went over to Angel. Drew just nodded, got up and went out the door. Tears were already falling down Janelle's cheeks when she reached her best friend. She wrapped her hands around Angel's hands. "You okay?" Janelle asked. Angel smiled and nodded, wincing again at the pain.
"Stop shaking your big ole watermelon head so much. Then you wouldn't be in so much pain," Janelle said teasingly as she got on the other side of Angel to help guide her towards the bed. Bobby snickered while Angel rolled her eyes. "Forget y'all," she said under her breath as she started walking. Drew and Faylene the nurse came walking through the door just as Bobby and Janelle had gotten Angel situated in the bed. They went to stand at the foot of the bed next to Drew while Faylene checked Angel's vitals. "You shouldn't have gotten out of bed," she said admonishingly. Angel just laid there in silence.
When Faylene had finished checking Angel's vitals, she motioned for Bobby, Drew and Janelle to come closer. Janelle and Drew stood on one side of the bed, Bobby on the other side next to the nurse. "Dr. Morton's making her rounds at Mercy General Hospital right now. She's got a couple of critical patients there. She hopes to be here within 2 to 3 hours," Faylene said. She looked down at Angel and smiled. "You are to stay put until Dr. Morton gets here." Then Faylene turned to look at Drew, Janelle and Bobby individually. "The 3 of you have 5 minutes to get out of here before I come back and kick you out. Mrs. Goren needs to rest." She smiled and then walked out of the door.
"Damn! And I thought I was bossy. That nurse has got me beat," Janelle said as she leaned down and kissed Angel's cheek. "She's just doing her job," Angel said. Drew stroked Angel's hair before he kissed her cheek. "We'll be back after work or sooner if Dr. Morton calls and tells us something's wrong," he said. Angel just nodded. Janelle looked at Bobby and said, "We'll give you a ride to work." "Thanks," he said. Drew handed Janelle her purse, then followed her out of the door.
Angel held up the arm that had the medical i.d. bracelet on it. "Laurel Goren? Your idea?" she asked. Bobby nodded. She just chuckled, then let out a yawn. "I'm a little worn out from all of this walking." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'll try to get back as soon as I can," he said. "Okay," she said with a smile. Angel closed her eyes. She was fast asleep by the time Bobby had finished gathering up his things. He smiled, kissed her cheek and walked out of the door.
Friday, August 25
Residence of Frank James Devlin, 12:45 a.m.
Frank Devlin was dancing in the corner of his large party room, surrounded by 4 beautiful women when Vinnie walked up behind him. "I've got some important information for you, Mr. Devlin," Vinnie whispered into Frank's ear. Devlin looked up at Vinnie with a glare. "How important?" he snapped. "You should get your property back with this information," Vinnie replied. A small smile crept across Devlin's face. "Ladies, I've got some business to take care of," he said. They all protested as he kissed each one of them on the cheek and walked away.
Devlin shook hands with his party guests as he and Vinnie walked out of the room and headed towards the living room. When they got there, they found a young man about the same size and height as Vinnie standing in front of the TV watching a boxing match. "Teddy, my main man," Devlin said with a smile. "Hey, Mr. Devlin," Teddy, Vinnie's cousin, said as he shook Frank Devlin's hand.
"What do you have for me, Teddy?" Devlin asked. Teddy reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and handed it to Devlin. "I managed to find 3 hospitals that had 5 black women come through their emergency rooms around the timeframe you specified, Mr. Devlin," he said. Devlin nodded his head and rubbed at his chin as he read the list. "Anyway to know what their names are?" he asked. Teddy shook his head. "No, sir. The only way to get their names is to go to the hospitals and ask if they were admitted."
Devlin smiled. "I knew I could count on you, Teddy," he said. He looked at Vinnie and said, "Give your cousin here his reward. He earned every penny of it." "Yes, sir," Vinnie replied. He walked over to the Picasso reproduction print that was hanging on the wall, pushing it aside to reveal a wall safe. He opened it and pulled out 5 stacks of 100 dollar bills. He closed the safe, then walked over to Teddy and handed him the bundle of bills. Teddy's eyes widen in surprise. "Thanks, Mr. Devlin," he said in awe.
Devlin smiled. "Don't thank me, Teddy. You've been a big help," he said. "Teddy, go wait for me by the front door. I'll give you a ride back to your crib," Vinnie said. Teddy nodded. He thanked Devlin again, then headed towards the front door. As soon as Teddy was out of earshot, Devlin turned to Vinnie and said, "I want you to call that P.I. of mine, Easy Money. Tell him to get a picture of that fucking bitch from the accident and find out which one of these hospitals the police have her stashed at." He handed the paper to Vinnie, who put the paper inside of his jacket and walked away.
"Hey, Vinnie," Devlin said. Vinnie stopped and turned around. "Yes, Mr. Devlin?" "Tell Easy Money he's got an extra 500 Gs coming to him if he can find out what this bitch's real name is." Vinnie smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir, Mr. Devlin." He turned around and walked out. Frankie Devil laughed to himself as he rubbed his hands together and headed back to his party. He could practically smell Angel's blood on his hands.
Friday, August 25
Major Case Squad Room
Alex's and Bobby's Desks, 3:45 p.m.
"I think I may have found where Franco Holland and Francisco Torres have been hiding," Alex said as she walked back to her desk. She was coming from the fax machine. Bobby looked up and asked, "Where?" She gave him the piece of paper she held in her hand. "I asked my friend Gabby Ferguson in Property Records Division to do a search for houses owned by women with the last name Torres on Long Island. She sent me a list with 10 names. Check out the name of number 7." She went to her desk and dialed a number. "Hi, Kimberly. This is Detective Alex Eames, Major Case. Could you look up an address and tell me when the last bill was paid?" She gave the caller on the other end the address. "Sure, I can hold," Alex said.
Bobby quickly scanned the list. He pointed at the 7th name on the list. "Hezrietta Torres," he said. "Julie Reese said that Francisco Torres' grandmother had an unusual first name. That's about as unusual as it gets," he said. Alex nodded, then she spoke into the phone. "Yes, I'm still here." She scribbled on a piece of paper. "Thanks for the information, Kimberly. Bye." Alex hung up the phone, a smug look on her face. "What is it?" Bobby asked. "According to the records at ConEd, the power at the late Hezrietta Torres' home got turned back on 5 weeks ago," Alex replied. "Let's go get them," Bobby said. He got up and followed his partner to Captain Ross' office to tell him the news.
Friday, August 25
Residence of Frank James Devlin, 4:00 p.m.
Devlin was sitting in his living room, typing on his laptop when Vinnie came into the room. "Mr. Devlin, I just got a call from Easy Money," he said. Devlin stopped typing. "What'd he say?" he asked. "He said that your hunch about where Frankie 1 and 2 are hiding was right on the money. They're hiding out at Frankie 2's dead grandma's house." Devlin chuckled. "Stupid sons of bitches. Thinking they can hide from me," he muttered to himself. "Easy wants to know what you want him to do, Mr. Devlin," Vinnie said.
"Tell Easy to go earn his keep and find that damn bitch who has my property," Devlin answered. "I want you and Gino to go over there and take care of them 2 dumb fuckers." Vinnie nodded without saying a word. He turned on his heel and started to walked out. He turned back around when Devlin called his name. "I fucking mean what I say about them, Vinnie! They better not live to make it to a fucking police precinct! Cause if they do, your ass will be grass! You understand me, Vinnie?!" Vinnie put on his sunglasses and nodded. "Loud and clear, Mr. Devlin. They won't make it anywhere. You've got my word on that."
Devlin waved a dismissive hand, letting Vinnie know that he could leave. He went back to typing on his laptop. He let out a heavy contented sigh as he smirked. "Damn! It feels good to be the king!"
Friday, August 25
Home of the late Hezrietta Torres
Long Island, NY, 5:00 p.m.
Vinnie and Gino were hiding out in the boarded up vacant house that was across from the home of the late Hezrietta Torres when the police started arriving to capture Franco Holland and Francisco Torres. They had ridden motorcycles over to Long Island, hiding them at a cousin of Gino's home about 4 blocks away. They were both armed with sniper rifles. "Hey, Vinnie," Gino said. He was looking through a hole he had bored through one of the plywood boards that was in the window. "Check out the big guy. I think I've seen him before on television or something."
Vinnie looked through the plywood board hole of the window he was standing near. He saw Bobby and Alex. "You probably have. That's Detective Goren," he replied. "The small blonde thing is his partner, Eames. They came by the house the other day, busting Mr. Devlin's chops about Brewster and Lowell." Gino grunted. He said, "Whatcha want to do? We can take them all out one at a time." Vinnie shook his head as he watched the police evacuate people from their homes. "Nah, we just wait and let the police catch Frankie 1 and 2. Once they bring them out, we take them out and get outta here." "Okay, Vinnie." They watched the activity that was going on in silence.
Gino and Vinnie didn't have to wait too long before the SWAT team, followed by Alex and Bobby, stormed the house. "Heads up, Gino," Vinnie said as he put the business end of his rifle through the hole. "I've got Franco. You take Francisco." Gino took up the exact same stance as Vinnie. When uniformed officers brought Franco Holland and Francisco Torres out in handcuffs, they both took aim and fired, shooting each man between the eyes with one shot. Vinnie and Gino dropped the rifles and ran out the back door, escaping unseen amid all of the confusion.
Friday, August 25
Major Case Squad Room, 9:55 p.m.
"Yes, sir," Captain Ross said. "Yes, Chief. I understand. As soon as my detectives let me know something, I will let you know. Very well, sir. Goodbye." Ross blew out a breath as he hung up his phone. He reached into the top drawer of his desk, pulling out a bottle of aspirin. He shook out 2 pills and put them in his mouth. Then he took a drink of water, letting the pills dissolve a little bit before he swallowed them. Talking to the Chief of Detectives always gave Ross a headache, especially when something as simple as bringing in suspects turns into a murder scene. He sighed as he stood and headed towards the squad room.
Bobby and Alex were both sitting at their desks when Ross came out. He looked at them and asked, "What happened out there?" "The shots were fired from a vacant house that's across the street from the Torres house," Alex said. "2 sniper rifles were left behind. There were no fingerprints on them. The serial numbers looked to be burned off with some sort of acid." "Which means the weapons are probably stolen, rendering them untraceable," Bobby said.
Ross grunted. "The Chief of Ds is breathing down my neck about this. I'd like to be able to give him some kind of good news." "The only good news we can give you is that the Narcotics Squad has had Frank Devlin under surveillance ever since we found his jump drive," Alex said. "Wonderful. Just wonderful," he said. "Anything else Narcotics was willing to share with us?" Bobby handed some papers to Ross and said, "That's some of the information contained on Devlin's jump drive. He's got a list of his suppliers and buyers on that thing. He's got their personal information as well as their strengths and weaknesses. He could use that to blackmail people if he needed to."
"Geez. Devlin's got his hooks into a lot of different people," Ross said. He handed the papers back to Bobby as he rubbed his forehead. "Does Devlin know that we have Eric and Eden Anderson in custody?" Alex shook her head. "According to what Lt. Garcia told us, he prefers to have his victims killed on the outside. Devlin thinks that killing somebody in jail is too cliché." Ross shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Such a gentleman," he said sarcastically. "Just in case Devlin decides to change his mind, I've got some favors to call in. I'll arrange for some sort of protection for them. In the meantime, I want you two to finish writing up your reports and then head home for some rest. I'll see you here bright and early in the morning." Ross nodded at them and then walked off.
It was after midnight when Alex and Bobby finished writing their reports. Alex let out a small yawn while she waited for the elevator. "I'll be glad when this madness is over," she said. Bobby nodded silently. "Yeah, so will I," he said. She looked up at her partner, a concerned look on her face. "Bobby, you okay?" He sighed heavily. "I…I'm okay." The elevator doors opened, the partners got inside without saying a word.
Bobby slid into the passenger seat and fastened the seat belt. Alex did the same thing before she started the SUV. "Home or hospital?" she asked. "Home, please," he answered. "I'll go to the hospital tomorrow afternoon." Alex put the vehicle into gear and headed out of the garage and onto the street. "Angel will be okay eventually, you know," she said softly. Bobby sighed, nodding his head as he looked out the window. "That's what my heart keeps telling me," he said.
Saturday, August 26
Residence of Frank James Devlin, 4:30 p.m.
"She's at Hudson Medical Center, admitted under the name of Laurel Goren," said the tall, bronzed and bald headed man that stood looking out of the window in Frank Devlin's study. Devlin was sitting behind his desk, his lips pursed. "I'm sensing a 'but' somewhere in there, Easy Money," he said. The private investigator named Easy Money looked over his shoulder at Devlin, flashing his pearly whites. "The nurse I talked to gave me her real name after looking at a picture of her. It's Angelica Pierson-St. John. She was famous back in the late 90s. Anyway, I managed to make it to the floor she's on. There's a uniformed officer standing guard outside her door."
Devlin laughed. "Damn, Easy Money. You should have gone in there and killed her for me. You could have earned quadruple of what's in this case," he said, patting a small leather briefcase that was on his desk. Easy Money frowned. "Frank James, you pay me to gather information and report back to you. You don't have enough money to pay me to kill anybody." "True. You're pretty expensive when it comes to needing a hit carried out."
Easy Money chuckled then he turned his attention back out of the window. "You gonna tell me how you plan on shaking off these cops that are out here watching you?" he asked. "Simple," Devlin said. "I plan on going out through my basement tunnel. I'll be in and out before they realize I'm gone." Easy Money laughed, shaking his head. "I used to think you were crazy for having that damn tunnel." "Of course I'm crazy. Crazy like a fox." "I'm not gonna argue with you about that one, Frankie Devil."
Easy Money turned away from the window. He shook Devlin's hand as he picked up the briefcase. "Pleasure doing business with you, Frankie," he said. Devlin nodded, a sly smile on his face. "I'll see you in Cancun next month," he said. Easy Money nodded his head and walked out the door. As soon as Easy Money was out of sight, Devlin pulled a Sig Sauer .45 out of the top drawer of his desk, checking the clip. He smiled even bigger as he lovingly caressed the gun. "Angelica Pierson-St. John, tonight you meet your maker."