Chapter 11
Maria entered the Bayridge dining room with a tray and took her seat. The entire Reagan clan was gathered for this breakfast meeting.
"What's happening, Dad?" Jamie inquired.
Danny and Maria spoke about their unexpected visitor last night.
"What has this got to do with Eddie?" Jamie inquired.
Frank sighed. "I'm not sure how this will help Eddie. I called in a few favours last night. Three Marshals spoke with Stacey Wilson early this morning. She admits to working for the Tijuana Cartel; she facilitated all contraband into Rikers before her transfer. She began to indulge in her product, becoming an addict. She felt compelled to transfer to keep her addiction hidden. The correctional staff at the Rose M. Singer Centre have a few secrets they would prefer to avoid rather than deal with the hassle of external investigations," he explained.
Erin appeared perplexed. "Why did they give you this, Stacey Wilson? Was she even in New York over the past six months?"
"No, her information pertains to the Chief Guard and the adoption scheme. The marshals have taken her to a location that remains undisclosed. They will brief me later. Hopefully, we will uncover why they provided us with her name," Frank added.
Henry grumbled as he listened, "Pop, would you care to share?" Jamie asked.
"Are they deceiving us? A tip-off from a Sinaloa Cartel enforcer has provided us with vague information regarding the Tijuana Cartel's potential dealings at Rikers. My instincts suggest we are being manipulated into investigating and eliminating their competition," Henry replied.
Frank nodded. "I agree, Pop; I have confidence in the marshals. They believe her information is sufficient to place her in their custody. We'll need to wait for them to speak with her. We can speculate about their intentions indefinitely." He paused to sip his coffee as he organised his thoughts. "I believe there must be something. We need to find the link to Eddie. Contacting Danny and Maria was a significant risk for them."
"I agree, Frank," Jack agreed.
"Maria, have you or Luis discovered anything new?" Erin inquired.
Maria sighed, "No, it's utterly frustrating. Luis wants to see me; he believes he has uncovered something but isn't certain if it pertains to Eddie's case. He has worked tirelessly and possesses good instincts; he would make an excellent detective, yet he is being wasted on patrol."
Danny chuckled at his wife. "Subtle, very subtle, sweetheart, suggesting to the commissioner that he promote one of his officers," Danny said with a smirk.
With her coffee mug pausing midway to her lips, Maria replayed in her mind what she had just said. Her face flushed crimson.
The whole table erupted with laughter.
"Be careful, Dad, she might be after your job!" laughed Erin, relishing the light-hearted moment. Things had been demanding since Eddie's arrest. "I agree with Maria. Luis has a brilliant investigative mind—just mentioning it, not demanding," Erin added with a chuckle.
Frank glared at his daughter-in-law, his expressive eyebrows raised. "Agreed, Sergeant; it seems you have a new partner. Do you think you can manage?" He chuckled.
Maria shot a fierce look at her sister-in-law. " Yes, commissioner, Luis will be like a puppy dog compared to being your son's partner," Maria replied
"You'd better be careful, big brother. Reagans tend to fall in love with our partners," laughed Jamie.
Maria caressed her husband's leg. "Don't worry, love; you're all I need, Reagan. You've spoilt me for life, as Eddie would say." Maria smiled, her heart feeling a bit heavy. She wished Eddie were here, adding her two pennies.
"Maria, would you like to inform Luis?" Frank asked.
"Yes, I would be grateful for that, Frank; thank you," Maria replied.
BB
"Detective, third grade?" Luis Badillo exclaimed for the third time, incredulous.
"Yes, Luis, you truly deserve it. Once the commissioner has arranged everything, he will inform you about your promotion ceremony. In the meantime, you will be with me until your paperwork is complete and your transfer to the 5-4 is organised. What have you discovered?" smiled Maria.
Maria set five folders on her desk and examined the highlighted lines. She observed that officers had logged into the police computer system on two separate terminals simultaneously on twelve occasions.
"Eddie?" Maria looked up and asked
Luis glided across yet another file. She examined the document, noting that Eddie was logged in on two terminals. Maria confirmed that all of these were at the 2-9.
"Have you noted your password down anywhere in case you forget it?" Maria asked without looking up.
"No, I have a good memory," Luis replied. "I know some people use Post-it notes in their lockers or store them safely on their phones," he added thoughtfully, attempting to recall information about Eddie.
'Speeding fine, parking ticket, plate check, and criminal record check,' Maria quietly reflected while reviewing the updates from the new login. She leaned back in her chair, contemplating whether this information pertained to Eddie's case. Each thread she examined could potentially uncover a fragile connection.
"Luis, I think we ought to investigate this further. My instincts suggest that this is not merely an isolated incident related to the 2-9. Let me consult Lieutenant Gormley. In the meantime, could you speak with Tony downstairs and ask him to check the login details for two separate terminals at the same time?" Maria asked
BB
Maria entered the 2-9 precinct with Luis. Sid took charge of the broader investigation, permitting her to focus on the concurrent logins at the 2-9.
"Sergeant Reagan," smiled Maria as she walked into Jamie's office.
Jamie ushered them into his office and promptly closed the door. "I have compared the camera footage with the timestamps of the additional logins. There is a slight issue: a networked computer hasn't connected to the precinct's computer network for months, and the system socket is malfunctioning. I attempted to use my laptop," Jamie sighed.
"TARU needs to examine the socket. If you're clever enough to crack someone's password, you wouldn't use a computer terminal in front of a camera that could recognise you," Luis mused.
Maria nodded. "I agree. You ought to establish remote access, allowing you to work away from any cameras without the risk of being observed by anyone else. Jamie, could you ask TARU to carry it out discreetly?"
Jamie nodded in confirmation. "How can we identify our ghost user?"
"We request that TARU monitor the log-ins from this precinct in real-time. Once duplicate logins occur, they will notify us here immediately so we can apprehend the culprit. I cannot think of any other way," Luis suggested.
Reading the message on her phone, Maria looked up and remarked, "Sid mentioned that two other precincts and central booking have had the police computer system operating on two separate terminals simultaneously on several occasions." She paused, absorbing the information. "If we check everyone who uses all the locations, we might be able to identify..." She sighed, aware of the extensive list that awaited her.
"Tentative. We can only hope that once we identify the ghost users, we can link them to Eddie." Jamie sighed, feeling disheartened. He had hoped they would finally uncover a solid lead.
BB
Eddie sighed; her solitude was nearly at an end, and she had been spending her days reading the Bible. The feeling of safety brought comfort for a brief time until certain verses from the Bible intruded upon her thoughts.
'Exodus 20:13 - You shall not kill.'
'Proverbs 6:16-17 - There are six things that the Lord detests, and seven that are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.'
Her guilt deepened significantly. She reflected upon the passages regarding the prohibition of taking lives and the pursuit of forgiveness. Holding her Bible close to her chest, she allowed her tears to fall.
"I apologise, Candy," she whispered to the corner of her cell.
Eddie opened the Bible at random and began reading. She found it helpful as she started to sense Candy Harrington's ghostly presence — her cell, her back, and those judgemental eyes made her tremble. She knew it was all in her mind. She was punishing herself for her sins. Her faith was the only thing keeping her sane.
As she glanced towards the corner of her cell, it appeared empty once more, devoid of any judgmental black eyes watching her. Eddie gratefully closed her Bible and placed it down on her bunk. She had been seeing Candy Harrington for a few weeks now. Eddie realised that this feeling was more than just a guilty conscience. The constant sense of vigilance and the threat of violence were mentally and physically exhausting.
Eddie felt compelled to suffer; she needed to atone for her grave sin.
Eddie hissed as she dragged her fingernail across her inner left thigh, which she had discovered in her meatloaf two days earlier. The five red welts made her feel normal, alleviating the constant ache in her heart. They also kept Candy's judgmental apparition at bay.
BB
Frank dropped his mobile phone onto his desk. He had just finished being briefed by the Marshals and speaking with Stacey Wilson. He walked over to the window to think while gazing at his favourite view from 1PP.
"Sir, is everything all right?" Baker asked from the doorway.
Casting one last glance, Frank turned. "No," he replied, contemplating his discovery. After listening to Stacey Wilson, he became increasingly worried for Eddie's safety while she completed her sentence.
"The guards at the Rose M. Singer Centre seem to be engaging in serious illegal activities. While this isn't linked to Eddie, it is still a major concern. Federal and state prosecutors have proposed a deal to her in return for her testimony. She's on her way to New York now. I need Sid and Garrett here, please," Frank requested.
"Yes, Sir,"
To be continued?