Chapter 14: Reagans First
With the sound system in the garage belting out the tunes, Jamie is under one of Meretti's cars 'distracting' himself when he hears his nephew's voice.
"So why exactly are you back working under Meretti's cars?"
Jamie rolls out from under the car to look at his nephew "Are we alone?"
Joe looks around just to be sure "Yes."
Jamie beckons Joe closer so he can speak quietly "Our apartment building in New York had a major fire." He explains "Our apartment is unlivable."
"Oh." Joe notes with a cringe "That sucks."
"Yes it does." Jamie agrees "So I needed a distraction." He adds before starting to roll himself back under the car "And you making me talk about it is not helping." He calls out louder.
"Sorry." Joe apologizes.
Beat.
"I take it that's why Eddie is talking a mile a minute with Larissa then too?" Joe suddenly deduces "Distraction attempt?"
"Yup." Jamie concurs.
Joe sighs "Copy that." He accepts before just walking away.
…..
Having worked most of the afternoon away on one of Meretti's cars, Jamie was starting to feel better and now he waits for Meretti to arrive so he can show him what he did.
Right on cue, Meretti walks into the garage with Joe "You know you don't need to work on my cars anymore right?"
Jamie shrugs "Don't need to." He agrees before a true small smile appears on his face "I just wanted too."
Meretti laughs "Who am I to turn down free labor?"
"Oh no." Jamie counters in amusement as he walks over to a car "You will be getting a bill for this." He corrects as he opens the driver's door "But it will be worth it." He promises with a smirk as he sinks into the driver's seat, reaches over and turns the key.
The engine roars to life.
A happy smile spreads across Meretti's face "Oh." He notes thoroughly impressed "Nicely done. Very nice indeed!"
"Just listen to that sound!" Jamie boasts right as Meretti's phone dings with a message.
He pulls it out to read and for a split second his brow furrows but then he plasters a smile on his face to cover "You know as great as you getting this car going is…" he begins "That's not your job anymore and it's a nice day, why don't you head over to the pool and join our lovely wives for a bit of relaxation huh? Go, go." He then prompts.
"Um sure…" Jamie slowly accepts as he eyes Meretti "You coming too?"
"In a minute." Meretti replies "Just want to admire your handy work a bit longer, in fact, Joey, you go too – hang out by the pool, enjoy some sun."
Joe raises an eyebrow "Boss?"
"Go, go." Meretti instructs.
Jamie and Joe eye Meretti one moment longer then Jamie moves to start cleaning up "Just let me put the tools away and turn off the sound system."
"No, no." Meretti quickly reject "Tools are fine where they are and I'll turn off the music when I leave. Just go." He again prompts.
"Okay." Jamie accepts as he and Joe simply turn and head for the door. They reach it, open it, take a step outside and as Jamie pulls the door closed behind them both men just stand there in thought.
A second later Joe suspiciously queries "Did that seem strange to you?"
"Yup." Jamie concurs "Like he wanted us gone."
"So you noticed that too huh?" Joe notes.
"Big time." Jamie agrees.
"So what are we going to do about it?" Joe questions.
"The opposite of what he wants." Jamie decides.
"What if it's a trap?" Joe queries.
"Then it's a good thing there are two of us." Jamie throws back so Joe moves to look in a window trying to see Meretti inside but doesn't "As long as you approve this course of action." Joe tosses out as he moves back to the door saying "He's gone." as he cracks it back open.
Jamie slightly rolls his eyes as he moves to follow saying "Oh now he asks for permission." before the duo quietly and cautiously make their way back inside. Jamie and Joe are heading towards the back of the garage near a separate room when even over the sound system playing, they hear heated voices coming from inside the room.
"Let me remind you again…" Meretti's voice sounds as Jamie and Joe reach the door and try to listen in "Our deal was you keep any law enforcement at bay and I keep you well compensated for that."
"I know." An unfamiliar to Jamie and Joe male voice sounds from in the room.
"Then what is the problem?" Meretti queries in annoyed irritation.
"The problem is I'm being stonewalled!" the voice sounds "There is something going on with the FBI but they refuse to tell me what it is!"
"You are paid handsomely to solve these kinds of problems." Meretti reiterates "So solve it."
"But…"
"Need I remind you that if I go down, you go down?" Meretti tacks on "And I'm not the one that killed a fellow cop."
Jamie and Joe's eyes immediately dart to look at one another…
"I'm sure your brothers and sisters in blue…" Meretti continues "…will stand by your side when they find out it was you that gunned down Sergeant Reagan and his wife in cold blood when the good Sergeant discovered you were in my pocket."
Jamie silently winces in pure unhappiness at hearing that but continues to just listen in.
"There is no evidence to support that claim." The other male voice dismisses.
"Oh you think not huh?" Meretti simply replies.
Joe looks at Jamie and raises an eyebrow.
"Leverage." Jamie silently mouths to him.
Joe nods in understanding.
"Look." Meretti then soothes "All I'm saying is I have faith in you to stop whatever the FBI is trying to pull just like you stopped Reagan and any other attempt alright?"
"Easy for you to say!" the man shoots back "Now I got Reagan's kid doing her own investigating!"
"So take care of her like you did her old man." Jamie and Joe hear Meretti say and the second they do, their eyes go wide.
"Now go." Meretti instructs as hints of irritation enter his voice "Our arrangement works because no one can connect you to me. You jeopardized that by coming here today."
"This was not something I could tell you over the phone." the man defends.
"Fine." Meretti accepts "You've informed me the FBI is up to something but now you need to go – before someone sees you!"
At hearing that Jamie & Joe quickly move away from the door.
"Head to the pool." Jamie lowly instructs his nephew "Buy me some time. I need to see who he's talking too."
Joe nods and heads back into the main garage on his way out the door but half way there pauses in contemplation then looks back in the direction he left his uncle. A second later he turns and quickly heads back towards Jamie - he didn't want to leave him without back up.
Jamie in the meantime was trying to find a place near the room to conceal himself from view.
He finds a spot and a few seconds later Jamie glances beside him to see Joe quietly appear at his side "I thought I told you to go to the pool." He quietly hisses at his nephew.
"I'm not leaving you here alone." Joe defensively whispers back "Eddie would have my head." He reasons out as an excuse.
A look of annoyance appears on Jamie face but before anything else can be said between the men they hear a noise so both clam up and turns their heads forward to watch Meretti exit the office and head back towards the main garage.
"You better hope he doesn't head straight for the pool." Jamie chides his nephew as he pulls out his phone to quickly text Eddie with a heads up in case he does. Jamie repockets his phone and then the men wait a couple more seconds but no one else comes out of the room so Jamie turns to Joe "Stay here." He instructs before moving to try to get closer to the office. He gets there just in time to see a man he vaguely recognizes standing in the room texting so he discreetly lifts his phone and snaps a picture right before the man begins to lift his head so Jamie quickly ducks out of view and quietly scrambles to hide behind some boxes. The person exits the room, walks past Jamie in his hiding spot without seeing him and heads for the back exit of the garage.
Having watched the man walk past him, it hits Jamie where he's seen the man before - he was amongst the profiles he and Eddie were searching through from the 3rd police precinct.
Seeing the man leave, Joe gets up from his hiding spot and moves towards his uncle "You see who it was?" he prompts.
A troubled look appears on Jamie's face as he nods yes and turns his phone around to show Joe "I don't remember his name but he works in the same precinct as Caitlin." he explains before pocketing his phone and pacing a bit "It's like it's happening all over again." He mutters out distracted more to himself then Joe.
Joe gets a confused look on his face "What is?"
"Crooked cop murdering another Reagan." Jamie spits out a bit more harshly than he really intended.
Suddenly a look of understanding registers on Joe's face "You mean my Dad."
"I need to get to Caitlin before she makes the same mistakes I did." Jamie decides as he just starts for the main section of the garage again.
"Jamie wait!" Joe calls but Jamie doesn't stop "Where are you going?"
But Jamie doesn't answer – he was too focused on not letting history repeat itself anymore than it already had.
"Damn it." Joe mutters as he moves to quickly follow while also trying to pull his phone out and dialing but before anything else can happen the door to the garage opens and Eddie enters with two drinks in her hands and her cell phone starts to ring in her pocket.
"Stop him!" Joe calls to his Aunt as he lowers and disconnects his phone while pointing at Jamie.
"Um…" Is all Eddie can get out confused as she side steps to block Jamie's path while trying not to spill the drinks she is carrying and glance down at her ringing phone in her pocket.
"Ignore the phone." Joe instructs "It was me."
"Brought you something to drink…" Eddie states as she offers a glass out to her husband.
"Don't have time for that." Jamie states as he rejects the drink.
"Sure you do." Eddie insists as she stares her husband down "Because I used bringing you something to drink as an excuse so I could come down here and see what the hell is going on and nobody…" She warns "…is leaving until somebody does."
Taking the hint, Joe cuts right to the chase "In a nutshell? Crooked cop killing another – giving him…" he states as he gestures at Jamie "…flashbacks to my Dad."
A look of true concern appears on Eddie's face and she thrusts the drinks in her hands at Joe "Here." She instructs before turning her full attention back to her husband "Talk to me." She prompts "What happened?"
"Where's Meretti?" Jamie instead queries.
Eddie shakes her head "I don't know." She replies "He never showed up at the pool."
A grimace appears on Jamie's face "That's not good." He admits before pacing a few steps and deciding "Okay we need to go, I'll explain on the way." He promises before looking at Joe "Can you cover why we left?"
"Yeah." Joe promises "I'll come up with something just promise me you won't do anything stupid okay?"
Jamie can't help but huff out a laugh "Oh look who's talking."
…..
Eddie sits in front of the computer at the table in the apartment with Jamie looking over her shoulder once again scrolling through the profiles of people from the 3rd precinct.
Suddenly Jamie points at the screen "That's him."
"Lieutenant Timothy Walker." Eddie reads out as she grabs for a paper and pen and scribbles something down "Okay got his address." She adds so Jamie swipes up the computer, signs out, shuts it and moves to a built in shelf. Once there he moves a knick knack to reveal a hidden biometric fingerprint scanner. He presses his thumb to it and immediately one section of the shelf lifts revealing a secure hidden compartment. Jamie places the laptop inside next to his and Eddie's NYPD shields then scans this thumb again and the compartment closes. He moves the knick knack back into place then turns to Eddie to see her double checking the magazine in her gun "Let's go."
….
"You really think he'll go after Caitlin?" Eddie inquires as she composes a text while sitting in the passenger's seat of The Chevelle as Jamie drives.
"I'm not willing to take the chance." Jamie replies.
Eddie pauses from texting to look at her husband "This could blow our cover." She warns.
Jamie's brain takes a moment to weigh and calculate the risk "I know." He honestly admits.
Eddie takes in a deep breath of air "Okay then." She accepts as she hits send on her phone "I let Joe know." She adds before adjusts herself in her seat trying to ready herself for whatever comes next…
…..