Sam was at his desk, shuffling through his open cases. There weren't many of them, but they were all starting to go a little cold. Leads were drying up and he was losing traction with them. He was trying to determine which one he had the best hope of making any legitimate progress on when Oliver walked up.
"Hey Sammy, Epstein called. He and Price are hung up with a couple of their vendors and he said he was going to be late."
"Ah, I figured they'd take a day off to handle all that. To be honest, that was one of the biggest headaches for our wedding; getting everything finalized and confirming with everyone."
"Which is why I told them to take a personal day each," Oliver said. "They'll need it."
"So, I'm riding solo today?", Sam put on a hurt expression.
"C'mon don't give me that. We both know how much of a lone wolf you are."
"You're right, I'll be fine."
"Sure, you will. As long as you're here. If you go out in the field, don't hesitate to grab a uniform though."
"Oliver, you're down a couple patrollers today already with Peck and Price. You don't need me taking another from you to go chase around non-existent leads."
Oliver conceded that point. "You're right brother, I don't. So how about you just take it easy today." He smiled and walked away.
Sam turned back to his folders. He knew he should work on one of them, but faced with another day of minimal progress didn't have him excited. So, he just kept shuffling through them, hoping something would jump out that he didn't notice the previous twenty times he'd read through the cases.
Around that time, Andy was cruising around. So far, the day had been quiet without much to do. Until dispatch came through the radio again. "In 15, silent alarm activated at King Jewelers on King. No other reports from the area. Units to handle identify for further."
1505 and 1509 responded they'd take it. Andy decided to head that way and be close in case she'd be needed. If not, she'd move on. When she was a few minutes away, Collins' voice came over the radio. "1505, eyes on at least 2 armed subjects in the store. No customers. Two employees are hostages."
"This is 1509, were two blocks away," Marcy said.
Andy grabbed her radio. "15S3, responding as well." She sped up a bit and tried to navigate the traffic as best as possible.
"1505, 10-33 shots fired at police, King Jewelers! Were in cover, negative visual on suspects."
"All units responding to King Jewelers, Code One approved," dispatch quickly relayed.
Andy added the sirens to her flashers and sped up a bit more.
About 30 seconds later, "This is 1509," Chris said, "we have 2 more subjects running out the back. And entering a green hatchback. Heading east away from here on Adelaide. We aren't with our car to pursue."
Andy recognized the suspects should be coming right at her based off Diaz's description; she was about to cross Adelaide from the north a couple blocks from them. She stopped just shy of the intersection and waited.
"Be advised, ETF is on route,"dispatch relayed.
Sure enough, a few seconds of waiting payed off, a green hatchback ignored a red light and zipped by her on Adelaide. Andy wheeled around the corner and gave chase. "15S3, I've got visual on green hatchback, in pursuit. Speeds about 45, traffic moderate to heavy. Andy leaned on the horn a few times to move a truck out of the way and continued pursuit. Even with her lights and sirens, navigating the traffic safely was not that easy in her truck. The hatchback however was smaller and could weave in-and-out easier than she could. Plus, the driver was not to concerned with safety. A couple other unites joined in the pursuit and Andy declared herself the primary and had the secondary car call out the chase. That would let her focus solely on driving.
The chase led Andy through a few more twists and turns. It didn't really seem that the hatchback was going anywhere in particular; just hoping that the frequent turns would shake the pursuing cars. That didn't happen and eventually the driver made a bad decision to turn down a dead-end street. Andy led the other squad cars down the street and the driver and passenger bailed from the hatchback, running in opposite directions.
"Secure the Car and take the passenger!", Andy yelled back at the cops behind her. She drew her gun and took off left after the driver who cut down a path way wide enough for a person. It emerged back on a busy sidewalk. Andy saw the suspect about a hundred meters in front of her and she gave chase again, yelling "Police, stop!". Predictably, that didn't have an effect. She could hear more backup approaching so she grabbed her radio to update her position.
As she was doing that, an unmarked cruiser sped past her and turned on the next cross street in front of the suspect, trying to cut him off. The perp, now only about half ahead of Andy as he once was cut right and then diagonally across traffic towards a subway stop kitty corner down the block. The unmarked cruiser took off again, the cop sensing where the suspect was trying to go and got there just after the runner and the plain clothes officer darted down the steps after him. Andy was just clearing the street to the sidewalk about 30 meters from the subway entrance when that happened, and she picked up her pace to close the gap a bit.
"This is McNally, suspect has entered Queen Street stop on Line 1. Plain clothes officer and I are in foot pursuit."
"Copy 15S3."
Andy started down the stairs and could hear shouting from down below. She saw people pointing towards the tunnel to the tracks when she cleared the stairs. She hopped hover the turnstiles and ran down the tunnel. As she got closer she could hear the shouting more clearly and couple pick out a familiar voice. Andy rounded the corner out of the tunnel and at the end of the platform was Sam, yelling down the tracks. She caught up to him, "He jump down?"
"Yeah," Sam sighed, "and took off that way," he pointed into the darkness.
Andy radioed in an update. Dispatch would direct units to the next stops in case he popped out there and have the trains stopped on that line.
"Hopefully they get the trains stopped, before he gets run over," Sam remarked.
At the stopped trains comment, the crowd that had gathered around groaned.
"I know, I know," Sam muttered at them. To Andy, "The next stop isn't far on this line."
"But he can't be making that great of time, uneven footing and all," Andy said. "So maybe our guys could get there in time and wrap him up."
"Yeah, that is if he doesn't find an emergency exit and pop back up in between somewhere."
Andy considered what Sam said. "What? You want to down there after him?"
Sam shrugged, "I'm not opposed to it."
"This is 15S3. We're pursuing suspect into tunnel north toward Dundas from Queen."
"There ya' go," Sam hopped down then Helped Andy down. They both drew their guns again and Andy triggered her flash light. Slowly they made their way down the side of the tunnel, careful to avoid the actual tracks, especially the third rail. They found the emergency door, shut.
"What do you think?" Sam asked.
"Oliver's going to kill us for going down here."
"About the door, McNally?"
"Oh, No harm in checking."
Sam nodded and pushed on the handle. The door opened, and Andy shined her light up the access stairs. It was empty and the latch at the top was sealed.
"Clear," she said, and they moved on.
"TTC … emergency door … Dundas and Queen." The signal from dispatch was very choppy. Though, considering how far they were below ground and all the concrete, its amazing they got anything.
We triggered an alarm with the TTC when we opened that door," Sam said, guessing at what the message was trying to say.
Andy tried to get word back that they were the ones that triggered the alarm, but couldn't get through. "Great, now everyone's going to go to that sidewalk hatch chasing a false lead."
"Nothing we can do about that now," Sam said. They continued onto the next stop, Dundas. There were people at the platform, that looked startled to see them. Sam held up his badge. "Has anyone seen a man, black hoodie, about my height, down on the tracks?"
The people shook their heads. Sam moved down the platform and asked another group. Meanwhile Andy got a signal and radioed that they were the ones to trigger the door. She caught back up to Sam who was talking with a group of people down the platform.
"You saw him? And he kept going down the tunnel?"
The woman Sam was talking with nodded. He thanked her and waved for Andy to follow him.
Just then dispatch radioed back. "15S3, TTC reports another emergency door opened. Between Dundas and King this time. Units are on scene there now.
"Roger," Andy said. "That one's not us." They took off down the tracks for a couple minutes and came across a door.
"Not an emergency door, Sam said. See, no push bar. Probably a maintenance door you'd need a key for." They continued on found and did find the emergency door just a few more meters down the tunnel.
"Ready for round two?" Sam asked.
Andy nodded and filled the gap with light and gun after Sam opened the door. Again, it was empty. "What?!" Andy backed out. "It's clear again."
"Maybe he saw the stairs and decided to keep gong to King?", Sam suggested.
"I guess." Andy and Sam continued on and got to the King street platform a couple minutes later. All of the people there had been waiting a while because of the stopped trains. And they all confirmed that they saw nobody.
"Sam," Andy said. "The maintenance door."
"Huh?"
"It has to be. We know he was between Dundas and King but didn't come out at King. And the emergency exit was opened but not used, clearly since nobody is reporting that they caught him up top. That only leaves that maintenance door."
"15S3, a woman at the Dundas stop is reporting that she talked to the police a few minutes ago. She thinks she saw the suspect again. Only this time he's wearing a TTC shirt and vest, not a black hoodie. She tried to ask him a question and he ignored her, averting eye contact."
"Copy, we're on our way there."
They took off back down the tracks and this time the maintenance door was open. They looked in side and a black hoodie was discarded on the floor.
"Damnit, we went right by him!", Sam rubbed his eyes.
"We can pick it apart later, Sam. First, let's catch the guy."
"Yeah," Sam conceded. They made their way back to the Dundas stop and the woman waved them over. I saw him I called 911."
"Yes, dispatch told us," Sam said. Do you know where he is now?"
"Oh yes, I watched him go into the bathroom there. He hasn't come out yet."
"Thank you, ma'am, you've been a great help. Please just wait here, we'll need a statement from you," Andy said.
She and Sam walked over to the men's room and knocked on the door. "Metro Police, coming in." He entered gun out, with Andy following suit behind. The room was clear except for a closed stall. "In the stall? Sir? We're the police, we'd like a word with you."
"Uh, … okay? Just a minute."
"Now, sir."
"Jeez what's the rush. A guy can't even use the bathroom anymore?" He flushed the toilet fastened up, and opened the door."
Sam took one look at him and he knew. "It's him." Sam yanked him from the stall and held him against the wall while Andy came behind and put cuffs on him.
"Agh! Wait, I'm who? What are you talking about?" Whatever you think, you got the wrong guy!"
"Uh-huh, sure. Lead us on a chase like that and you don't think I can identify you?"
"What chase? I've been here working!"
"That's your story?" Sam asked as they led him out of the bathroom.
"It's not a story. Officer, you have to believe me, it's the truth!"
Yeah, okay. Just save it until we get back to the station.
"What am I being arrested for?"
Similar protests ensued all the way to the back of a squad car.
Oliver was waiting for them back at 15. "I heard you two had an adventure today."
"All in a day's work," Sam joked.
"Yeah, about that. I though I told you to take it easy today."
"Right. I was getting bored, and I heard the call over the radio, so I figured I'd head over to help out."
Oliver pondered that. "I suppose it's my fault. I never should have thought I could keep you in the barn all day. Just make this case nice and tidy and I'll let it slide."
"You got it, sir," Andy said. When Oliver left she said to Sam, "He's not as upset as I thought he'd be."
"He's fine," Sam said. "Actually, if he's upset it's not about us. It's days like today, our adventure, that make him miss the blue shirt."
Andy nodded, "What about you. Did today make you miss it?"
Sam looked at his wife "Rounding up drunks, doing tedious grunt work? That stuff I don't miss. But," he took Andy's hand, "riding around with you, catching bad guys, saving the day? That's the stuff I miss, McNally."