Ever since he took over this operation, he'd built a vast web of snitches. People who'd sell out anyone for the right price. But his focus had narrowed to one thing: finding the woman who'd seen him kill that homeless guy. Now it was personal. It was costing him a fortune to find her, but he knew it'd be worth it in the end. He'd combed through the entire city, but it was like she'd disappeared into thin air. Then, one of his scouts came through with the tip he'd been waiting for.
"Cops came into the Sycamore buildings about an hour ago but haven't left yet." The scout reported.
"Nothing goes down there without your okay, so they must have a reason to be interested." The scout continued.
Julio felt a rush of excitement. He had a lead at last, and now all he needed was for his guy on the inside to fill in the details. It wasn't long before he started laying out a plan to take care of her for good. She was going to seriously regret ever getting in his way.
Kate sat in tense silence after the video ended, her eyes fixed on Rick as she awaited his response. His furrowed brow and concerned gaze made her question her decision to share the evidence now. She slowly set her phone down on the coffee table beside her, her mind racing with the possibilities running through his head. The room was heavy with unspoken words until Rick finally broke the silence.
"By coming to us, you've painted a target on your back," Esposito said. As a testament to her rarely used vocal cords Kate spoke. The surprise in his eyes was evident - Esposito hadn't realized Kate could speak. Rick and Javi exchanged a knowing glance; he understood her sign language, Javi her spoken words.
"I'm aware of the risk," Kate's voice was firm.
"That's why I had to make sure you have this. If anything happens to me, I won't be the one who did nothing."
Rick admired her bravery. Now, he needed to get her statement on record and obtain the video she possessed.
"Can you airdrop the video to my phone?" Rick asked, already pulling out his device.
Kate gave a curt nod. Their phones touched, and the transfer was initiated. Rick set his phone down, pen and notepad at the ready. The video would be powerful evidence, but a solid report would strengthen their case.
Rick had transcribed her account of that day's events almost verbatim. While he took shortcuts to ensure accuracy instead of writing longhand, he was still amazed by her determination. He doubted he could match her bravery if he were in her shoes.
Esposito sat on the couch the entire time, meticulously noting everything she said. Kate had grown somewhat more comfortable with the two detectives, but she still harbored reservations. She could only hope to emerge from this ordeal unscathed.
With the interview concluded Rick rose from his seat and helped Kate up from the coffee table.
Ever the gentleman, Esposito produced a business card from his pocket and handed it to Kate.
"Please, don't hesitate to contact me or Detective Castle if you recall anything else or just want to talk," he said, his smile warm and reassuring. He turned to leave, twisting the doorknob before stepping into the hallway.
With the formalities over, Rick extended his hand to Kate. As their palms met, a strange tingling sensation ran through him—not quite a shock, but something milder and curious. Kate must have experienced it, too, given the swift way she withdrew her hand after the handshake, nodding her thanks.
"I appreciate you letting us come into your home, Kate, and for letting us get a copy of that evidence," Rick said, his voice filled with sincere appreciation.
Rick left Kate and made sure the door was locked behind him. He walked right past the elevator which he wasn't going to wait for only because he didn't want to be stuck in it. It was easier going down the stairs and it was climbing them. By the time he gets down to the lobby, Esposito is already standing on the sidewalk. They both had a short conversation about the case and which direction they should take it before they both went to their cars and left.
Two men on the rooftop across from the Sycamore buildings watch intently as the two cops talk for about a minute. They only talked for about two minutes, and then each went their separate ways. They made a call.
Rick got in his car, his mind consumed by the risk she had taken to give them the information for the case. It took a lot of courage for her to do what she did, and she did it without any thought of being compensated. Now all he had to do was find the people who were involved. He had a basic plan in mind. What he would do now was run the suspect's description through the criminal database on his computer and see what he came up with.
Esposito was going back to the crime scene to ask around if they had seen their suspect. Two months had passed since the murder occurred. Esposito realized that the length of time that had transpired between when they first got the case and Rick being chained to a desk, finding his footing again from the accident, put them at a disadvantage. But at least they were heading in the right direction.
He pulls up and parks his car a block away from where the murder occurred. The neighborhood is run down and there's not much here but he is positive he will find something. He gets out of the car and starts walking down the block. He sees signs for a tavern and decides that this could be the place for some good information so he will start there.
The second he walks through the door everything becomes very quiet. He closed the door behind him and walked up to the bar. He takes a seat on the stool and orders a beer.
"Corona with a lime please."
The bartender nods and goes about getting him what he wants.
Javi takes out a fifty-dollar bill and places it down on the bar under the coaster. Then he takes out a ten to pay for the beer. The bartender returns and he slides the 10 forward. The bartender eyes the fifty and then he says,
"That's for you if you can give me some information."
The bartender looks at him skeptically but again nods his head.
"What kind of information are you looking for?" The bartender asks as he wipes the space with his dish rag.
"It's about a murder that happened about two months ago. A homeless man was shot in the head and left for dead. Was just wondering if you heard anything related to that?"
The bartender stands there and contemplates Esposito's question. After about thirty seconds of thinking about it, the bartender gives him his answer.
"I don't know anything about no murder," the bartender gruffly responds, not meeting Esposito's gaze.
Esposito studies the man, his gut telling him the bartender is hiding something. He decides to push a bit harder.
"Well, I will be sitting here for a while, having a few drinks. If you happen to remember anything, I'd be happy to add to that reward," Esposito says, his tone casual despite the intensity of his gaze.
The bartender nods curtly and moves down the bar to attend to other patrons. Esposito takes a sip of his beer, his eyes scanning the room. The patrons are all giving him a wide berth, their hushed conversations no doubt about the detective in their midst.
He sits in silence for a few minutes, slowly nursing his beer. Suddenly, a figure slides onto the stool next to him. He glances over to see a grizzled old man, his face a map of wrinkles and scars.
"You're the one asking about that homeless guy, huh?" the old man rasps.
Esposito turns to fully face him, his interest piqued.
"That's right. Did you know him?"
The old man nods, taking a swig of the drink in front of him. "Yeah, his name was Paul. He wasn't like the rest of us. He had...class. Used to be a professor or something, I heard." The old man continues.
Esposito's eyes widen in surprise. A homeless man with a past as a professor? That was news.
"Do you know what happened to him?" Esposito asks, his pen poised over his notebook.
The old man shrugs.
"Nah, but I saw something weird that night. I was collecting cans in the alley and I saw a guy arguing with Paul. We all try to keep to ourselves in our little area and nobody wants trouble. This guy was dressed nice, out of place in a neighborhood like this and everyone that saw him and his gang knew that they were armed. We know about guys like those and try to avoid them like the plague they're only out to make our lives more difficult."
Esposito's heart rate picks up. This could be the break they needed.
"Can you describe him?" Esposito presses, his eyes locked on the old man.
The old man furrows his brow in thought.
"He was tall, medium build with black hair. Had a fancy watch on his wrist. And a ring...a college ring, I think."
Esposito jots down the description, his mind already racing with possibilities. A college ring could be the key to making sure they can identify their suspect.
"Thank you," Esposito says sincerely, sliding the fifty-dollar bill down the bar to the old man.
"If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to reach out. Here's my card."
The old man pockets the bill with a nod, places the business card in his tattered shirt pocket then gets up and walks away. Esposito finishes his beer, then gets up to leave. He has a lot of information to sift through, but he has a good feeling about this case. They finally have a way to connect the murderer to their victim, and Esposito is confident they'll be able to ensure it was the man on the video who Paul was arguing with before he died. Then maybe they can use this guy as a material witness.
Rick is about halfway back to the precinct and is so deep in thought he doesn't realize how he was able to get this far back to the precinct and not notice his surroundings. When he needs to think he usually turns down his hearing aids so it drowns out the sounds of the city. It's something he's done since the accident and sometimes he forgets to readjust the volume.
He's thinking about what this guy can do to Kate. He keeps one hand on the steering wheel and the other he uses to adjust his hearing aid in his good ear. Once he gets it satisfactory he goes to pull out his cell phone to make the permanent adjustment on the hearing aid app. Sometimes his hearing aids can be an annoyance with the feedback he sometimes has within his head. He reaches into his coat pocket and realizes that his phone isn't there. First, he panics thinking he lost his phone but then realizes that when he and Kate made the transfer of the video she took he placed his phone down on the coffee table and never picked it back up. He finally comes out of his daze and finds a good landmark to see how far away he is from her apartment and notices that he's close to the precinct. The ride back will be about twenty minutes. He makes a U-turn and starts heading towards her place. Something is gut telling him there is something wrong. It could be his imagination but his gut feeling is never off.
Julio stands next to his snitch on top of the roof of the building across from the Sycamore buildings. The building holds about two hundred apartments searching it is going to be a pain in the ass but they have a location for her now. They will systematically search each apartment and once they find her she will be eliminated. They plan out what to do and after a short time, they are descending from the building across the street. They cross 4th Street and head for the entrance to the building. Entering through a rarely used side door they go in unseen by any resident. They start their search on the ground floor and are quickly moving through the building.
They move swiftly and silently, Julios's trained eyes scanning each apartment they pass. His gun is clutched tightly in his hand, his finger resting lightly on the trigger. He knows the woman they're dealing with - desperate.
They clear the first few floors quickly, the apartments either empty or occupied by people who aren't who they're looking for. But with each passing minute, Julios's tension grows. They need to find her before she realizes they're onto her and tries to leave her apartment.
As they step out of the stairwell onto the fifth floor, Julios freezes. He can hear the faint sound of a TV coming from the apartment at the end of the hall. His instincts scream at him that this is it. He motions to his snitch, gesturing for him to get behind him. The man nods and falls back, understanding. Julio takes a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest.
He creeps down the hall, his eyes fixed on the apartment door. He can hear the sound of voices now, the TV turned up loud. He presses himself against the wall next to the door, his gun raised. He can feel sweat trickling down his spine as he reaches out with his free hand to slowly turn the handle. The door creaks open under his touch, his senses on high alert.
He slowly opens the door and the amount of noise it makes he's sure it will give him away. But the door opens further and no one makes an effort to stop him…
Rick presses down on the gas, his heart pounding in his chest. He can't explain the sense of unease that's settled over him, but he trusts his instincts. He's been a cop too long to ignore that little voice in his head.
He weaves through traffic at a quicker pace, his eyes scanning the road. He's been to Kate's apartment only once but doesn't know the route by heart, but today the drive back makes every minute feel like an eternity.
Finally, he turns onto her street. He scans the block, his gaze lingering on her apartment building. Everything looks normal, but that does nothing to alleviate the knot in his stomach. He finds a parking spot and jumps out of the car. He takes the stairs two at a time up to the eighth floor, his hand resting on his gun once he hits the 7th floor not knowing what to expect. He shouldn't be this on edge, but he can't shake the feeling that something is off.
He gets to her floor and once he is halfway down the hallway he notices that the door to her apartment is already wide open...