Jay stood up from his desk and retrieved his coat. It was already eight PM in the evening and they had yet to make any progress. Surprisingly, even Bunny had no information to offer, resulting in a dead end. Just as Jay was about to put on his jacket, Platt returned to the bullpen.
Voight emerged from his office and saw the older woman approaching him and Jay. "This was delivered for you and Jay," she said, handing over an envelope. Voight accepted it from Platt and expressed his gratitude. "Thank you," he replied.
Jay paused his actions and, along with the others, looked at Voight. Even Platt remained in her spot. "What does it say?" Jay inquired.
"I don't know," Voight responded, as he opened the letter and started reading. As he read, he couldn't help but inhale sharply, hoping their suspicions were incorrect.
"So?" inquired Antonio, stepping closer to examine the letter which Voight handed to him. Voight, unfortunately, was unable to read it due to his anger clouding his vision. "Voight, Halstead, I assume you two have already deduced the identity of the mastermind behind all of this. I know how you operate, Voight. And don't fret about your female detective; for the time being, Lindsey is unharmed. She is simply settling her debts with me. Once that is done, I will be in touch with you again," Antonio read aloud from the letter, emitting a growl of frustration.
Upon hearing what Antonio had read, Voight vented his frustration by kicking Erin's desk and leaning against it. "Damn it, we must continue our search," he stated. Jay nodded in agreement and turned to address Platt. "Who delivered the letter to you?" he inquired of the gray-haired woman.
Platt cast a contemplative glance at him. "A certain woman brought it in. She seemed anxious and frightened about something," she disclosed. Antonio nodded, concurring with her statement. "I attempted to approach and offer assistance, but she disregarded it," he confessed. "I should have intervened and inquired about her well-being."
Voight conveyed, looking at his second in command, 'It is not your fault, Antonio.' Jay inquired, hopeful of a possible lead, 'Do you have any knowledge of her appearance?' Antonio affirmed and proceeded to describe the woman's features, stating, 'She appeared slightly younger than Erin, albeit not by much.' Furthermore, he added,'It appeared as if she was being controlled or threatened by something, as she displayed signs of fear.' Understanding the gravity of the situation.
Voight nodded solemnly and took a deep breath, remarking, 'We must exhaust every effort in locating Erin, and in the process, rescuing this woman as well.' He couldn't fathom that Charlie would commit such an act, but he couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility.
Erin attempted to free her wrists from the restraints, but the only sounds that escaped her were grunts due to the cloth tightly tied around her mouth. Exhausted from her futile struggles against the cuffs, she fell back against the bed, devoid of any remaining strength.
Her body tensed as she heard the sound of footsteps descending the stairs, knowing it was Charlie. She cast a fierce glare towards the shadowy figure approaching her.
'What's with the glare, Erin? I would have thought you'd be thrilled to see me again,' Charlie remarked, resting a knee on the bed, causing it to creak under his weight.
Erin recoiled and attempted to scream at him, although no sound emerged. Charlie arched an eyebrow, observing her intently. 'What was that?' He inquired, removing the cloth covering Erin's lips.
'You bastard, let me go,' Erin shouted at him, attempting to free her wrists once more. However, her efforts came to a halt when Charlie forcefully struck her across the face, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her cheek. 'Silence,' he hissed, leaning in close to her ear, his warm breath cascading down her neck.
Erin attempted to move away, but he firmly grasped her shoulders in order to prevent her from doing so. In a whispered voice, he declared, 'You will not be released until I am finished with you. This is merely the beginning, for we will create a video to send to Voight and Halstead.' With these words, he rose from the bed.
The brunette patiently awaited an opportunity as Charlie remained in close proximity. With her legs still freed, she strategically maneuvered her right leg to deliver a forceful kick, aiming for his leg. However, her aim faltered and she unintentionally struck him in the stomach, granting Erin a sense of satisfaction.
Erin observed Charlie losing his balance and clutching his stomach as he fell forward. Filled with anger, he snapped, 'You wretched little creature.' Once he regained his composure, he warned, 'You have only made things more difficult for yourself.' He then proceeded to strike Erin across the face again, causing her lip to split open.
Charlie subsequently placed the cloth back over Erin's mouth, ensuring it was tighter this time and partially covering her nose. With unkindness in his tone, he declared coldly, 'I shall return, and the torment shall commence.' he departed, leaving Erin in solitude once more.
Upon hearing the opening of the front door, Erin observed Charlie ascending the stairs. As she turned onto her side, she experienced a debilitating headache accompanied by discomfort in her jaw. Additionally, she found it increasingly difficult to breathe through the fabric obstructing her mouth and nose. Although tears loomed in her eyes, she managed to withhold them.
Marie entered the farmhouse alongside Joey, observing as Charlie ascended from the basement, his hands stained with blood. She was about to inquire about the situation when Charlie directed his attention to Joey and inquired, 'So, how did it go?'
Joey and Marie proceeded to follow Charlie to the kitchen. Joey replied, 'It went smoothly. Marie followed instructions diligently, although she did accidentally come across one of the intelligence detectives.' This revelation caused Marie's eyes to widen, as she had not anticipated Joey noticing.
Charlie expressed his curiosity, 'Really? Which detective was it?' Retrieving a beer from the fridge and glancing at both of them, he continued, 'I am unaware of the specifics, but he had a piercing in his left ear.' Joey provided further details, 'Yes, an earring on his left ear. He possesses black hair, brown eyes, and appears to be of Hispanic.'
"Antonio, I believe," Charlie stated with narrowed eyes as he directed his gaze towards Marie, "that he holds the second highest position in the intelligence faction." Approaching the young woman, who stared back at him with wide eyes, Charlie spoke.
"I apologize for unintentionally bumping into him, but I don't believe he harbored any suspicions," Marie pleaded, hoping to gain Charlie's trust.
"It better be, because if our identities are exposed or if we are discovered, your fate will be the same as Lindsey's. Do you understand?" Charlie questioned, gripping Marie's arm and then backhanding her across the face, causing her to stumble back into the wall behind her.
"Understand that if Voight or any of those detectives reveal our location, you will face the same consequences as Erin."
Marie grasped the wall for support and nodded, whispering, "Yes, sir. I promise." Her cheek stinging from the blow, she added meekly, "Now, go to bed." Charlie ordered.
Marie nodded and swiftly exited the kitchen upon overhearing Charlie and Joey's dialogue. "What is our course of action now?" inquired Joey as he opened a bottle of beer.
"Well, now that we have secured Erin, we can commence strategizing our escape from Chicago, ensuring that Voight cannot trace our whereabouts," replied Charlie, sipping his beer.
As Marie listened intently to their conversation, she realized that they intended to take her and the other woman out of Chicago.
Anxious to devise an escape plan, she hastily ascended the stairs to her room, determined to find a way to flee and secure help for Erin or assistance in liberating her from this predicament.
Marie fervently hoped that she would be able to formulate a plan before daybreak, swallowing hard as she contemplated her ideas for rescuing Erin and herself from this perilous situation before it was too late.