Chapter 15

Her ankles chaffed against the metal as she shivered; she had lost track of time since being brought on board this barge. She had no natural light and couldn't tell if it was day or night. Her only companion was her tormentor, Mag's, who came in regularly to inject her with heroin.

"Jamie, please find me," she prayed; her craving for her next dose was getting worse, and she was beginning to look forward to the nurse's visits. She felt ashamed of herself. She needed more of the damn stuff. Her last visit to Nirvana did not last as long. She wanted her husband, but would he want this broken, bald drug addict? She hated herself, and she was everything she despised. "How could Jameson Reagan wish to stay with you? You're broken, pathetic. I will never be welcomed around the family table again." She whimpered.

" Edit. I know you're hurting, sweetheart. Would you like Mag's to make it better, make the pain go away? Jamie will hate you. Look at yourself. Your brother and sisters in blue will hate you. No one is ever going to trust you again, you junkie, your worthless Edit. What would you like Edit?" Mag's asked, smiling at the dishevelled woman on the bed shivering.

"I need more; make the pain go away; please give me more," Sobbed Eddie.

She smiled to herself. Mags had been dosing her every three hours. She was dependent on the heroin after the fourth dose. She had survived this long by her wits and her gut, and her gut told her something was wrong. Edward Nutter was a pompous prick full of his own self-importance. He believed he was unbeatable; she hadn't survived the troubles in Ireland in the 80s by being stupid; she left Ireland for the States when her gut told her it was time.

Eddie Reagan was safe. She was her ticket out of here.

"Ask for it; what do you want?"

"M-M-More.." Asked Eddie in a weak voice, "I want more, please,"

"Only if you inject yourself," Smirked Mag's

Eddie took the offered syringe. She watched as she pulled the tubing tight with her teeth, slid the needle into her vein, and pressed the plunger. She laid back and welcomed the descending feeling of ecstasy.

"Paybacks a bitch," smiled Mag's, leaving the needle sticking in her arm for the camera. She planned on making her return as painful as possible. Her head still hurt. She was going to suffer.

BB

The raid on the asylum was complete, and they found the area Maria had described. The search was complete; they had found no trace of Eddie. Crime scene technicians were examining two regions and found a trace of blood.

"We have multiple hits for Detective Baez and Officer Reagan along this corridor. We will expand our search down the tunnel." The crime scene technician explained.

"Don't waste your time going down the pipe tunnel. Concentrate on this area, please," Danny asked.

Danny pulled Jamie aside. He had been preoccupied since they hadn't found Eddie. He knew his brother was worried about his wife and was only expected to think the worst; if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to contemplate that she was gone. His head and heart were conflicted. He was feeling guilty for not forcing her to pull out when Maria went missing.

He rubbed the tape on his ring finger and smiled, remembering what Eddie told him. 'I want to hear you say you told me so.' He thought to himself, knowing he had to keep his promise to her and keep Jamie safe for her. It was the least he could do.

"Jamie, let's go and talk with the good doctor again; we need to know where this Margaret Barry might have gone, from what Maria said Eddie did to her guarantee she has got her somewhere," Danny told Jamie.

"Yeah," he answered.

He needed to shake Jamie out of his melancholy; he required his Harvard-educated brain to be firing on all synapsis. He would never admit it to him, but Danny was damn proud of what his little brother had achieved in the NYPD.

"Sargeant, Detective," Greeted the approaching CGIS special agent.

The two Reagan brothers turned to face the approaching agent.

"We have confirmed the identity of all but one of the patients here. She is listed as Mrs Mandy Simcox, admitted by her husband with suicidal tendencies leading to a couple of attempts to take her own life. Mandy Simcox does not exist; her real name is Tilly Tolland. The missing wife of Alexander Tolland, the mayor's chief of staff. We are having her checked by coast guard doctors to asses her. My gut says she is here against her will." The CGIS agent told them, handing over the patient file.

Jamie shook his head, not believing what these people would do, " Damn smart, stash your wife in the Asylum under an assumed name. Fabricate a story and play the heartbroken husband. How long has she been here?" Jamie asked

"Six years, if the date is correct in her file,"

"Seems about right; I remember him standing next to the old mayor at a press conference, begging Tilly to return home. Think of all the money he saved over divorce lawyers and from having to split everything fifty-fifty," Danny responded.

"Good way to keep him quiet, having his medicated wife here," Jamie noted

BB

Erin Reagan ended her conference call; she smiled as she watched Henry doting on his new great-granddaughter. Elena had the Reagan patriarch wrapped around her little finger already; she was what the Reagan family needed now: the innocence of youth. Initially, she had been pissed at her father, older brother and sister-in-law. That had been replaced with worry. The pit in her stomach felt like a black hole.

She had busied herself with work, liaising between Washington and New York, making sure the search warrants would hold up in federal court, the task made harder; they could only use selected judges. The reach of the Cabal had astonished them all as they started uncovering the broad reach of this conspiracy within federal and local agencies and government.

"Dad, We have the arrest warrants with exceptional circumstances for confinement for Captain Elizabeth Oaks, NYPD and Agent Nigel Potts, DEA. Arrangements have been made for the others. Once you give the OK, they will issue the warrants, and I will keep them updated with the new names as we uncover them." Erin told her father.

Frank had been carefully watching his daughter, and he knew she was struggling with her feelings over her actions and comments to Eddie. It was written all over her face; she always busied herself with work when conflicted and worried about those she loved.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked his daughter as he sat beside her

Smiling at her father, she shrugged her shoulders in reply, unable to answer his question. The Reagan siblings' argument around the family table after Eddie came to Bay Ridge was replaying in her head. She had used some very colourful and unflattering words about her Sister-in-law. She now hoped she could speak again to apologise.

"She will forgive you, Erin. Eddie knew she would alienate the family. She was protecting the family, sweetheart. You will get the chance to talk with her. Believe in the system, and we will find Eddie Reagan; Pop's would never forgive me if we lost his girl," Frank smiled. "I am the commissioner. I know everything,"

That made Erin laugh.

"I will let Sid know we have the warrant for Oaks and Potts," Smiled Erin, happy to be helping.

BB

Maria, Kasey and Abigail watched David Clarke loading his bags into his Porsche Cayenne.

"That's a $98,000 SUV. Being an FDNY paramedic seems to pay well. He owns the vehicle outright and has no finance. I am so in the wrong job," Sighed Kasey.

"That would look great with Elena's car seat in the back," Abigail laughed. She was trying to lighten the mood in the unmarked car. The murderous vibes from Maria were hard to miss by the car's other occupants.

'Have warrant bring in David Clarke.'

Read the group message their phones just received from Sid.

Maria handed her Glock to Kasey, "Just in case I get the urge to shoot the bastard in his balls," she smiled at Kasey as she passed her weapon over. "Okay, Ladies, let's ruin his day,"

Kasey started the car and pulled to the front of the purple Porsche Cayenne.

"David Clarke, you are under arrest, hands on the window of your vehicle. Now!" Shouted Abigail while Kasey covered him with her weapon.

The colour drained from David Clarke's face when he saw Maria. "What's the matter, David? Do you prefer slitting a drugged female's wrist in the back of your ambulance? Never had them hunt you down before?" Maria asked in a very controlled voice, hiding her inner turmoil.

Everyone had seen this man's handiwork, and it was hard to miss the six-inch long scars on Maria's wrists. He was taking too long to comply, and Abigail took him down hard to the floor while Kasey ratcheted her cuffs tightly around his wrists.

"Bitch! Get off me," he snarled. His sudden descent to the floor shook him out of his daze. He started struggling, trying to wriggle away from Abigail.

"Argh, my eyes," he screamed as the pepper spray burnt his eyes.

"Stop resisting arrest. Lay still, Now!" Ordered Maria, her finger still on the activation button on her pepper spray canister.

"One for the road?" Kasey asked " Two wrists, only fair, Maria," she added as she helped the screaming paramedic up from the floor.

Without hesitation, Maria sprayed him a second time; Abigail took the squirming man to the arriving CGIS vehicle.

"Why do I feel bad about that?" Maria asked

"Because Maria Baez, you are a decent human being and law-abiding citizen," Kasey reminded her as she returned her weapon. " You made sure you could not do anything stupid. You wanted to hurt him; that is only human, But you didn't," Smiled Kasey patting Maria on her shoulder.

"Ladies, shall we go? Who is driving the evidence back?" Abigail asked as she looked at the horrendous purple Porsche Cayenne. Maria caught the Porsche keys as they were tossed to her,

A smile appeared on her face as she walked to the purple SUV.