Chapter 6
"Got any spare change, mister," the voice asked as Danny passed.
He instantly recognised the voice. The smell hit him as he dropped some coins and an earwig into her paper cup and walked away without speaking or acknowledging he knew her.
"Thank you for your generosity," snarked Eddie as she slipped the earwig into her ear.
"Christ, Eddie, how did you get that smelly?" Asked Danny through her Earwig
Eddie smirked, remembering the bag lady she had swapped her pristine coat with earlier. "Got to smell the part, Reagan; I changed coats with a lovely lady I met earlier. I can point her out if you're interested later." She laughed
"Maria and Elena have disappeared; they were taken from her house earlier today. Crime scene technicians found your prints on a window inside and out. You are now suspected of kidnapping Maria and Elena, and they have an amber alert in place. The Mayor forced Dad's hand and ordered him to ask for assistance from state police in apprehending you. I have to ask you, but I already know your answer. Do you want to step away from this?" He asked
"Hell no. Do you have any witnesses?" She asked
"None, very few people at home, no camera footage. We have canvassed the entire neighbourhood. TARU are going through traffic cameras looking for Baez's car. Her video doorbell was disabled." Danny explained
"Eddie! You still there?"
"Yeah, sorry, just thinking. The reporter who contacted Frank initially has he been located?" she queried.
"No, he is still missing or dead; there has been no contact. Dad has tried multiple times. Why?" he asked, not sure where she was going with this.
"Bare with me. So you're a reporter with an explosive story and have physical and digital evidence to support your claims. You know the people involved will not hesitate to kill to protect themselves. Do you only have one copy?" She asked rhetorically, " You make complete copies and keep them safe somewhere easily accessible but not prominent. My father had a post office box in which he kept certain items under an assumed name; we only found out after his arrest that there was a key on his keychain that we didn't recognise. It might be a long shot, but it might be worth looking around his apartment and checking the nearest post office." Eddie suggested.
"That proves my point, Eddie; that was very Mr Harvard; my little brother is rubbing off on you." Laughed Danny. "Good idea, I will go and have a look around his place,"
"Thanks, Danny. We will get Maria and Elena back. You have my word. I know you love her, Danny. You look at her how I used to look at Jamie. Once we find her, man up, Reagan, and tell her. How's Jamie?" She asked
"He is Jamie," Replied Danny. "I will look after him for you, Eddie. You concentrate on staying safe. Preserve the battery and stay safe,"
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Jamie looked at the Amber alert on his computer screen for Elena Baez, not believing his Eddie had anything to do with her abduction. He thought he knew his wife. The last few days had been burdensome, her arrest at the house, watching her snort cocaine on camera. He twirled his wedding ring as he observed the YouTube video of her talking with her dealer and paused as she hoovered up the powder.
He finds it hard to believe, not genuinely trusting his own eyes. He was an NYPD sergeant who followed the evidence, the cold, hard facts where she had admitted to being a user. The lab confirmed from her hair sample that she had been using for months. His mind refused to accept the secret footage from the reporter. Opening up his rap sheet and intelligence report on Manny Arteter, he was well known to NYPD and the DEA.
"You wanted to see me, Boss?" Asked Officer Luis Badillo
Jamie glared at his wife's partner; he had been placed on modified duties while they investigated how much he knew about his partner's addiction. Every single-drug-related collar was being looked into. Jamie was riding him hard as he blamed Badillo.
"Yes, Badillo, take these tickets and file them, please," Jamie ordered
"Yes, Sergeant Reagan,"
"Problem, Officer Badillo?" Asked Jamie, approaching Badillo and getting in his face
"No problem, Sargeant Reagan, I will get these filed,"
Jamie glared at the retreating officer. He refused Captain McNichol's offer to go home.
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Captain McNichols watched the interaction between her sergeant and officer. She had been monitoring the two over the past few tours. She knew it was a fight just waiting to happen. She needed to keep them apart.
"Officer Cato, my office, please,"
Officer Kasey Cato was the replacement for Eddie Reagan.
"Go and rescue Officer Badillo from his parking ticket hell; he can help you learn the precinct's area. It will be a good way to get to know your new partner. Take your time….get him to show you everything." Emphasising her last word
The seasoned officer had witnessed the ongoing thing between Sergeant Reagan and Badillo since she arrived. "Copy that, Ma'am; I'm sure we can get it done by the end of the tour," Kasey replied, letting the captain know she understood what she was asking without asking.
"Dismissed Officer Cato," smiled Captain McNichols.
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"Officer Badillo, I am here to rescue you from your parking citation hell. My name is Kasey Cato. Captain McNichols said you will take me and show me around the area." She smiled, happy to see the relief in his eyes
With a great sigh, he returned his pile of parking citations to the tray, knowing he would be back down here to complete this painful task. He would take this reprieve from Sargeant Reagan and internal affairs. He hated Eddie Reagan; his partner had tarnished his character by affiliation. IAB had questioned him three times. They believed he covered for Reagan. What hurt him the most was some members of his platoon thought him guilty and took great pleasure in letting him know. He had been given a RIP by Captain McNichols for his attitude.
"Thank You, Kasey, you are a lifesaver." He smiled. " Luis Badillo, let me get my cap. I will meet you out front," he introduced himself.
"Your driving. I will ride shotgun." She smiled as they walked toward the locker room.
"Why are you disturbing Badillo, officer?" Boomed Sargeant Reagan's voice from behind
Kasey turned to face the sergeant, "Officer Kasey Cato, Sargeant Reagan, I just transferred in; Captain McNichols told me to find Officer Badillo. He will show me around the precinct area, and we will partner once he is cleared to return to full duties." Kasey diplomatically told Sargeant Reagan, hoping not to have him blow up in her face; she knew about his wife, and the whole NYPD knew.
"Get on with it then, Officer Cato; welcome to the 29th," Sergeant Reagan muttered as he about turned and stalked off to his office.
"Sorry about that, Kasey,"
"Don't worry about it, partner. I am a big girl. Come, let's get out of here." She smiled, seeing how tense her new partner was in Sargeant Reagan's presence.
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Danny Reagan pulled his charger over outside the post office. He grabbed Bear from his passenger seat and squeezed the stuffed panda, and he remembered Elena's little face when he had first given her the panda,
' We will get Maria and Elena back. You have my word. I know you love her, Danny. You look at her how I used to look at Jamie. Once we find her, man up, Reagan, and tell her.'
Eddie's words repeated in his head as he held 'Bear.' It had been a difficult three and a half days since Elena and Maria had been taken. Danny was getting frustrated things were not going well at all. No trace had been found of Maria, who took Maria had hidden their tracks well. He was expecting to receive the call any time they had discovered Maria's body dumped somewhere.
"Here you go, detective. That was inside your box,"
"Thanks, Cindy. Don't spend it all on booze." Danny handed over a couple of twenties
Opening the large brown envelope, Danny tipped the contents out on his passenger seat. A flash drive and three SD cards tumbled out onto the leather seat. He found several photographs inside.
Slipping the flash drive into the terminal in his police charger, he found the drive encrypted. Not bothering to try the SD cards, he flicked through the photographs. They were all surveillance shots. He didn't recognise any of the five men and two women. Two males wearing state troopers' uniforms concerned the seasoned detective. Frank, being ordered to involve the state police in hunting down Eddie, had seriously hampered her. She had to keep moving continually. She was sleeping rough to avoid capture, and the state troopers had come close yesterday.
He could use his younger brother and sisters' help with this new find. He remembered Joe's death at the hands of the blue templar. He never wanted to experience that heartache ever again. If Maria died, that would destroy Danny. He would typically seek his Grandpa's council, But Henry had badly taken Eddie's fall from grace. He had been baking non-stop. His father had taken Maria and Elena's kidnapping badly, blaming himself for not considering the possibility; with the added stress of sending Eddie into the lion's den, he was struggling.
'Have found it. Meet me at my place ASAP,' he said to the commissioner.
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Eddie grabbed a rock and flung it through the car window, quickly searching the dash and glove box. Holding what she could, she ran into the alley to escape the whaling car alarm. She opened the first aid kit, took out the antiseptic, and cleaned her cut arm. Running from the state police yesterday, she had been cut by an exploding brick from a ricochet. The troopers had just fired at her without warning.
"Eddie, are you up on comms," she heard Danny's voice in her ear.
"Yeah, Danny, that was too close. The bastards just opened fire without warning. I recognised one trooper from outside my hotel the day they tried to arrest me. Did you get what he stashed in his postal box?" Eddie asked
"Got it; it contained photographs, a flash drive and SD cards. I didn't recognise any faces, but two were wearing state troopers' uniforms. One was a senior officer. I am meeting with Dad at my place later. The flash drive was encrypted, so it was not useful until we got into it." He told her
" I have an idea you're not going to like it, though," Eddie said as she hissed, cleaning out her gash.
"Eddie!"
"I'm fine. I got struck by some flying brick fragments from a ricochet. Gashed my arm a little," she answered.
Eddie explained her plan to her brother-in-law.
"No way, Eddie, Jamie will kill me." Answered an angry man
"Danny, it is the only way; it is inherently dangerous. I can't see any other way. Can you?" she asked.
"No, I do not like it, Eddie. Be safe, little sister," He answered.
"Reagen, wear a cup. I am going to be resisting arrest." Laughed Eddie
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