A/N: Sorry for the delay folks. A very busy weekend with the family, and working. Enjoy the new Chapter.
Chapter 1
Office of the District Attorney of New York County
Manhattan, New York
Erin went about sorting through the case folders on her desk trying to find the last one that she need for her trip to argue in front of the Court of Appeals. "Laura!"
Laura, Erin's assistant came to the door. "Yes Ms. Regan?"
"Have you seen the Reynolds file?" Erin said as she continued to search through the files that were on her desk. She looked up at her assistant. "That is the one I can't find?"
Laura walked in and searched through the folders on the desk before moving to the table. She found it the middle of the pile that was in the center of the table. She handed it to Erin. "Here you go Ms. Regan."
"You are a lifesaver." Erin replied as she smiled at her assistant. She put the file in her briefcase. Her assistant smiled and left the room as Frank stood by the doorway. Erin looked up as she was putting her coat on. "Dad, what are you doing here?"
"I can't stop by and see my beautiful daughter off to Albany." Frank replied with a smile on his face as he came into the office. He gave Erin a kiss on the cheek.
"What's going on?" Erin asked.
"What makes you think there is anything going on?" Frank asked with a smile.
Erin looked at her father. "Dad?"
Frank sighed and sat down on the edge of the desk. "Walter Braden's conviction got overturned."
"On what grounds?" Erin said in shock. She had been busy preparing for her trip to Albany and missed the memo that had been circulated around the office. "I didn't have a chance to read the brief's yet."
"A judge found fault in the process that the lab conduct the test that proved he was high that night." Frank stated as he looked straight ahead.
Erin clasped her father's shoulder and leaned her head on it. "I'm sorry dad. I know that was key for the conviction."
"Yeah, so I thought I would come and visit with my daughter and get her advice." Frank replied.
"Not much I can do dad, I have to go to Albany." Erin replied getting up and going to grab her briefcase. She walked around and looked at her father. "Get me the decision by the judge and case information. I can't promise anything though."
"That's all I can ask of you." Frank stated as he got up and grabbed his daughter's rollaway luggage and dress bags. "Mind if I walk you to the elevator?"
Erin shook her head and smiled. "I don't know mind at all."
Frank offered his free arm and Erin hooked her arm through his as they walked out of her office, closing the door behind them. Erin sighed. "Nicky argued this morning to let me have her stay by herself for the next few days."
"I take it her argument didn't pan out." Frank said with a smile as he saw Erin shake her head. "You know when your mother and I left you alone for one weekend around Nicky's age, you took the car and drove into the city to attend a concert."
"I got grounded a month for that." Erin replied as they arrived at the elevator. She pressed the down button. "I know she is responsible, but I am more worried about her friends than her."
Frank held the door open as the elevator arrived and they boarded it. "Responsibility is the price of freedom."
"Elbert Hubbard." Erin said with as a couple other people got on the elevator. "Yet he didn't have to deal with what parents have to deal with today."
Frank just smiled. "Nor the fallout from it."
Major Case Squad
54th Precinct
Danny walked into the squad room and over to his desk. His partner was sitting down at her desk. She noticed Danny sitting down. "Hey how did the canvass go?"
"We got lucky partner and found the wallet. Uniforms found in the dumpster by the center." Danny replied as he handed over an evidence bag with a wallet in it. "The id in the wallet matches our victim. Samantha Barnes. 25, Lives over in Midtown."
"Well I wish it they would have found it sooner and save me the hassle, but she is also in the system." Baez told Reagan as she handed over a printout that also gave the victims id. "She is in the system for D and D back in 2009."
Danny looked at the printout. "She was 19 at the time of the arrest."
Baez nodded and looked at her notes. "Well she was looking at a fine for her first offense, but her dad is a big mucky muck so it got knocked to community service."
"Adam Barnes of Barnes, Leahy, and Mann." Danny said as he continued to the read the report. He looked up from it. "Attorney's?"
"Investment group." Baez replied as she leaned back in her chair. She looked over at Danny. "Her father is on the way in after uniforms made the notification."
"All right, according to this, she is a bar promoter for several high name bars around the city." Danny stated as he looked up her name on the computer. The history came up on the computer. "So that explains why our victim was dress to impress."
"Yeah, I seen them around some of the times my boyfriend and I go out to bars or clubs." Baez remarked as she made notes. She looked up and saw Danny's face. "What I go out?"
Danny smiled and shook his head. "I know, but I am still amazed that you think the Jets are going to the playoffs."
"Ha, Ha. Funny guy Reagan." Baez replied with a smile on her own face. Her computer beeped at the arrival of a message. "Did you find victims cell phone?"
"Not on the initial canvass. Why?" Danny asked getting up and moving over to look at Baez's computer.
"I got a warrant to track her phone just in case it didn't turn up." Baez mentioned pointing at her computer with Danny nodding. She tapped the map screen where a blinking icon was flashing. "Her phone just made a call from East Harlem."
"Quite a feat for a dead girl." Danny remarked walking back over to his desk. He picked up the keys and grabbed his phone. "Come on Baez."
"Where we going?" Baez asked already knowing the answer.
"To do a little shopping." Danny smiled as they walked out.
Jamie's Apartment
Manhattan, New York
"Come on Jamie. You wanted to do this." Eddie called from Jamie's bedroom. He smiled as he got up from the couch putting down the study guide for the Sergeant's exam. He saw her standing before his bed going through stuff on the bed. She then turned around and held up some bathing suits for Jamie to look at. "Which one?"
Jamie stood there studying the choices that Eddie was holding up. He saw her face. "Both."
She smirked at him. "Why did I know you were going to say that?"
"Because you love me." Jamie walked over and wrapped his arms around her as he saw the all the choices on the bed. "Geez Eddie. We are only gone five days, how many outfits are you taking?"
She lightly elbowed him. "It's Miami, and who knows what we are going to do besides the beach and the hotel.
"True." Jamie replied kissing the nape of her neck, which got her chuckling a bit, as he continued to scan the pile on the bed. He released her and walked around and sat down on the bed. "Eddie, can I ask you something?"
"Sure babe." Eddie replied moving the stuff aside and sitting down next to Jamie. She took her hands in his. "Is it all the stuff I have here?"
"No. I mean yes." Jamie stated and then cleared his throat. He looked her in the eyes and brushed a strand of hair out her eyes. He took a deep breath. "I was thinking, between your place and my place, our stuff is spread across town. Why not consolidate at one place?"
"You mean move in together?" Eddie asked getting a slight nod from Jamie. She took a deep sigh herself, yet she didn't release her grip on Jamie's hands. "Is it a little soon after only five months of dating Jamie?"
"Two years as partners though Eddie. We pretty much knew everything about each other already from working together every day. Yet despite seeing you every day at the precinct, I can't wait to come home with you every night." Jamie replied with a smile that made her smile as well. He kissed her lightly and put his forehead on hers. "I love you Eddie, and I will support whatever your decision is. Just think on it. No pressure."
"Promise?" Eddie asked getting a nod from Jamie. Her smile grew larger this time as it was her turn to kiss him lightly. She then stood up. "Deal. Now help me out with what dress I should take for our first night on the town?"
Eddie held up a couple of dress. A black dress with mid length skirt or a red dress with mid-thigh skirt. Jamie looked at them both. "It's tough to tell on the hangars. Care to model them for me?"
Eddie smiled and moved to put the dresses on.
East Harlem
Manhattan, New York
Danny and Baez walked into the area that the victim's cellphone pinged. They looked around the area, but into the area everyone had cellphones. Baez was on the phone with the lab that was tracking the number. She hung up a moment later. "Ok. The lab said it is within 100 ft. of us."
"Well that narrows it down." Danny mentioned as 15 people passed by him on all on their cellphones. He looked around. "The person with the phone could have passed us, and we would have never known it."
Baez laughed and pulled up the keypad on her screen. "TARU gave me the number."
"Good, and maybe we can end this case early and get a beer." Danny replied with a smile as Baez dialed the number. A teenager standing next to a table answered the phone. Danny moved towards the teen as Baez stalled the teen. "Hey kid NYPD."
The teen took off running as he dropped the phone with Danny right behind him. Baez quickly stopped, ordering their backup to secure the phone before racing to catch up to Danny and the teen. Just up the block the teen was making good progress through the crowded streets, but had to slow down at the intersection in front of him. He turned down alley, in which Danny was able to make up some ground on the teen. The teen ran down the length of the alley and tried to hop a wrought iron fence that was at the other end, but the loss of speed allowed Danny to catch to the teen and drag him down from the fence.
"Hey man, I didn't do anything." The teen told Danny as Danny began to frisk him. Baez began slowing up her run after catching to Danny and the teen.
"If you didn't do anything, why did you run?" Danny said handing over the teen's wallet to Baez who opened it.
"You say NYPD in this neighborhood, somebody generally takes off running." The teen replied as Danny slapped the cuffs on him.
"Well partner say hello to Reginald Ortiz." Baez told her partner as she held up the license to the teens face. She placed the id back in the wallet and closing it before placing it back in the suspect's pocket. "Where did you get the phone Reggie?"
Reggie looked at Baez. "It's mine alright."
"Yeah I don't think so Reggie." Danny said as he turned Reggie around and looked at him in the face. Danny then held up a picture of Samantha. "It belong to this girl before you killed her."
Reggie looked shocked. "I never seen that girl before."
Baez came and grabbed Reggie's other arm. "That's what they all say."
"Whoa where you taking me?" Reggie asked as he was being led by the arms.
"To have a little chat." Danny replied to the question as they neared the end of the alley where a blue and white were waiting.
"Look I'll tell you where I found the phone." Reggie said, which got him stopped as they neared the car. He saw the looks of Danny and Baez. "I was walking home from my job as security guard when I heard a phone going off. I found it in a dumpster by the Target on East 117th St."
"Nice try, we searched that area." Danny mentioned as they started moving towards the car again.
"This was at 3 am." Reggie said as they stopped again, but this time at the blue and white. He looked at Danny and Baez. "You can check with my work. I didn't get off till 2.15."
Danny looked at Baez who nodded. "We'll check it out, but until then you're coming with us."
Reggie sighed as he was put in the car. The uniform shut the door and got in. As they drove off Baez looked at Danny. "That's an hour after the murder partner."
"Yeah and I have a feeling Reggie isn't our guy." Danny replied as he walked back towards their car.
======================Thank you everyone for the reviews so far and your paitence. Family life comes first.============