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Both men walked out of the room in silence. But the moment they stepped through the door, Antonio rushed up the stairs and nearly collided with them head-on.
—Hey, I heard what happened. Where's Olinsky?
His eyes quickly scanned the area, as if expecting him to appear at any second.
—He took his daughter home, —Hank replied without slowing down. His voice sounded dry, hard, sharper than usual.
Antonio frowned when he noticed the tone.
—How bad is this? —he asked as they moved through the bullpen, and he shrugged off his jacket.
—Call Halstead. I want him here right now.
Hank finally slowed his pace slightly and barely turned his head.
—We've got a gang shooting to solve… and I need results before this city explodes.
That was enough to make Antonio stop asking questions.
Minutes later, the team began gathering around the main Intelligence table. The usual murmur of the unit had disappeared.
Erin took her place in front of the board. When she saw Olinsky's chair sitting empty, she inhaled slowly and hardened her expression before allowing herself to think too much about it.
She picked up a black marker and wrote a single word in large letters:
"CALAVERA."
The sound of the marker scraping across the board drew everyone's attention.
—Right now, we don't have much, —Erin said, setting the cap down on the table.— Lexi and I spoke a few minutes ago. She says she didn't get a good look at the shooter… but she heard her boyfriend yell that name right before he was shot.
Antonio looked at the word written on the board and let out a breath through his nose.
—"Calavera," —he muttered.— Yeah, that definitely sounds like a Latino gang. Subtle as hell.
Ethan remained leaning against a nearby table, his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on the board.
—Do we have anything in the database? —he asked.
—Not yet, —Erin replied.— Ballistics is still working on the recovered rounds. They're comparing the rifling marks and trying to get matches that could identify the weapon or connect it to other shootings.
—Good. Push them. I want that analysis as soon as possible.
Ethan gave a slight nod.
—Based on the nickname… I'd bet on the Saints.
Several heads turned toward him.
—Why them? —Antonio asked.
—Because they like using names like that for their soldiers, —Ethan explained without taking his eyes off the board.— "Skull," "Ghost," "Devil"… they love that theatrical bullshit.
Hank slowly took a seat.
—Then we start there.
He looked at everyone present one by one.
—I want names, locations, and any recent Saints activity before the end of the day.
The silence lasted barely a second.
Then everyone started moving at once.
—It also lines up with the Gang Unit's information.
Halstead, who had only arrived a few minutes earlier, started reviewing patrol reports on the computer and frowned as he flipped through photos of several documented gang members.
—No nearby witnesses… and no useful surveillance cameras.
—Good! —Hank slammed a hand down on the table, drawing everyone's attention.— No matter what happens, we're going to find this "Calavera."
His expression hardened even further.
—And we're going to make him confess before Lexi has to step onto a witness stand.
Hank immediately stood up.
—I'm going to talk to some Gang Unit contacts. Maybe someone's heard that nickname recently, —Halstead said while quickly reviewing several names on the screen.— The Saints like bragging about their shooters before things blow up. If "Calavera" has already made noise on the street, someone's going to know who he is.
He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair and slipped a small notebook into the inside pocket.
—Halstead… you're coming with me.
Jay immediately looked up, slightly surprised by Hank's tone. It wasn't a suggestion.
—Yes, Sergeant.
He stood up at once, grabbed his car keys, and tucked the folder under his arm.
Hank then turned toward the rest of the team.
—Erin, Antonio… talk to every witness from the scene again. I want every possible detail squeezed out of them.
His gaze moved from one to the other.
—Find out everything you can about the victims and any connections they had to the Disciples. Friends, family, debts, drugs, gangs… whatever.
Ethan nodded slowly.
—Understood.
The atmosphere inside Intelligence remained tense as the two men headed toward the exit. Erin watched them leave before turning her attention back to the name written on the board.
From the look on Hank's face, nobody needed further explanation.
Lexi was practically family to him.
The two men left the room and headed downstairs toward the parking lot.
Halstead opened the door to the unmarked patrol car and got behind the wheel.
Hank took the passenger seat while adjusting his coat and staring silently out at the street.
The engine rumbled softly.
Meanwhile, back inside the office.
Ethan turned and saw Sumner standing behind him, holding two thick folders and looking at him with surprise.
—Morning.
She gave him a smile.
—What've you got there?
—This is a report on every drug case in the Pearson neighborhood over the last year.
She raised the second folder.
—And this one contains a list of gang members arrested with firearms in nearby neighborhoods.
—If we're lucky, we'll find something.
She seemed to be taking her role seriously and was looking for ways to contribute.
It was her first step toward fitting in.
Erin looked at her in surprise.
—That's a lot of cases! How'd you get all that so fast?
—Consider it my superpower.
Sumner shrugged and looked at Ethan.
—So, what do you say? Help me out? I could use an extra pair of eyes.
—I guess you and I are doing desk work today.
On the other hand, Antonio picked up the file.
—The host of the party is downstairs in holding, —Antonio said while reviewing the notes left by the patrol officers.— He's nervous… talks too fast. He definitely knows more than he's saying.
He closed the notebook and looked up.
—I'm bringing him in to see what he can tell us.
Antonio left the bullpen to begin questioning the witnesses.
Ethan slowly returned to his desk.
As he sat down, something caught his attention.
There was a carefully wrapped rectangular box sitting on Ethan's desk. There was no sender.
He frowned slightly before picking it up.
—What's that? —Erin asked when she noticed it.
—No idea.
Ethan calmly removed the wrapping paper and opened the box.
Inside rested a bottle of twelve-year-old Macallan. The amber color of the liquor reflected against the bullpen lights with an elegant glow.
A small black card with gold lettering rested on top of the bottle. Ethan picked it up and read the message.
"Congratulations."
That was it. No name.
Erin raised an eyebrow from across the table.
—Who sent you that?
—I don't know… maybe an admirer, —he replied with a faint smile.— Maybe someone finally learned to appreciate my charming personality.
—Yeah, sure, —Erin muttered without even looking up from her paperwork.
Ethan slowly turned the bottle in his hands, studying the label. His expression remained neutral, though he examined it for a second longer before setting it on the desk.
Ethan stored the bottle and the card inside his desk drawer before returning to the paperwork spread across his desk.
A short while later, Antonio entered the bullpen with a suspect in handcuffs.
—He's the owner of the house where the party happened, —he informed them as he walked in.
Ethan stood up and grabbed his notebook.
—Let's see what he has to say.
The team headed toward the observation room while Antonio escorted the suspect into Interrogation.
After a brief questioning session, the disappointment was obvious.
The man inside was visibly trembling, his eyes full of fear, and his restless hands fidgeting on the table.
He didn't look like a gang member.
More like the kind of person who would break apart if asked something even remotely personal. Ethan doubted he could withstand real pressure without immediately talking.
Antonio walked out of the interrogation room and closed the door behind him.
—What do you think?
Ethan stayed silent for a few seconds, watching through the glass.
Sumner leaned against a corner with her arms crossed.
—That guy's a coward, —Ethan finally said.
Erin gave a slight shake of her head.
—He's not part of any gang. You can tell.
Antonio nodded while slipping his notebook back into his jacket.
—Maybe Russell's mother knows something. I'm heading to the hospital.
Ruzek looked up from his notebook.
—Wait… nobody's going to talk about last night?
Everyone looked at him.
—Voight got arrested by Internal Affairs, —Ruzek continued.— Doesn't that seem a little weird to you?
—Tsk…
Antonio let out a small nasal laugh while adjusting his jacket.
—What's so funny? Do you know something?
Antonio smirked slightly, his expression strangely resigned.
—It's more normal than you think.
—What?
—I arrested him myself once.
Ruzek blinked in confusion.
—You serious?
—He always walks away clean, —Antonio replied with a shrug.— This time won't be any different.
—What the hell…?
Antonio shook his head.
—It wasn't personal. Just work. After that, he got cleared somehow.
Ruzek looked confused.
—So the rules just don't apply to Hank?
Antonio slowly shook his head.
—Just leave it alone. It's not our job to question what the boss does. And if you really want answers… ask him yourself.
Ruzek opened his mouth but said nothing.
He knew perfectly well he didn't have the guts to confront Hank directly. Nobody in the unit did unless it was absolutely necessary.
So he let out a breath through his nose and dropped the subject.
Best to forget it.
Sumner stepped closer to the observation glass.
The others walked out.
Ethan approached her.
—Thanks for the gift. How'd you know it was my favorite?
—I heard the guys talking about it the other day, —Sumner said while leaning a shoulder against the doorframe.— You always order the same drink at the bar.
Ethan barely looked up from the documents in front of him.
—How did you know it was me? —She asked more quietly, almost curious.
—Most of the people I know were at my house for the gathering I hosted, —he replied calmly.— Besides, nobody outside our unit can get into the office without the door code. That narrows down the suspect list quite a bit.
Sumner let out a quiet laugh through her nose.
—Wow, I guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought.
She crossed her arms, amused.
—Was that what gave me away, Detective?
Ethan slightly turned his head to glance at her.
—No. The bottle smelled like your perfume.
That caught her off guard.
For the first time since the conversation began, Sumner fell silent for a second.
—My perfume?
—It's pretty distinctive, —Ethan said calmly.— I don't know many people who wear something like that.
A slow smile appeared on Sumner's lips.
—Should I feel flattered… or worried?
—That depends on you. But thanks for the gesture. You're headed in the right direction.
Ethan walked toward the exit without directly answering.
Ethan returned to his desk a few minutes later. The moment he sat down, his phone vibrated on the table.
He glanced at the screen.
He slipped the phone into his pocket, stood up without a word, and headed downstairs.
The tech room was nearly empty at that hour. The glow of the monitors illuminated Jin's face while he reviewed several open windows.
He scratched his head in frustration before letting out a heavy sigh.
Ethan walked in and immediately noticed Jin's worried expression.
—What's wrong? —he asked while taking a seat beside him.
Jin slightly turned the chair toward him.
—I need advice… because I've got a bad feeling this isn't going to end well.
Ethan set his cup down on the desk.
—Talk.
Jin hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice.
—Halstead asked me to look into someone. A guy named Lonnie Rodiger. Ring any bells?
The name made Ethan slightly lift his gaze.
—Yeah. I know a little about the case.
His tone lost some of its usual calmness.
—He was suspected of abusing and murdering a child a few years ago. They could never prove it, and he walked free because there wasn't enough evidence.
Jin immediately nodded.
—Exactly. But Halstead is convinced he did it.
Ethan understood immediately.
—His ex-girlfriend's younger brother, —he said slowly.— Yeah… Jay never let that one go.
Jin rubbed the back of his neck.
—That's what worries me.
He turned the monitor toward Ethan and opened a file containing recent bank transactions.
—I checked Rodiger's purchases from yesterday.
Ethan studied the list.
—He bought a tent… a gas lantern… a sleeping mat…
He frowned.
—Maybe he's just going camping?
—That's what I thought at first, —Jin replied, shaking his head.— But…
He scrolled farther down.
Ethan's expression shifted slightly when he read the rest.
Rope.
Duct tape.
Disposable gloves.
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavier.
—Did you tell Halstead about this? —Ethan asked in a much more serious voice.
Jin slowly exhaled.
—Yeah. He's furious.
He glanced toward the door, making sure nobody else was listening.
—He thinks Rodiger's going to hurt someone again… and honestly, I'm worried Jay's going to do something impulsive before we get real evidence.
Ethan remained silent for a few seconds, staring at the screen.
Now he understood Halstead's tension throughout the entire day.
It wasn't just an obsession.
It was fear.
Fear that another child would end up dead while the system failed again.
—I understand, —Ethan finally said as he stood up.— Leave it to me. I'll have Hank talk to him before this gets out of control.
—Ethan…
Jin hesitated.
—Jay's not thinking clearly.
Ethan gave him a brief pat on the shoulder.
—Relax. I'll handle it.
Jin nodded, though he still didn't seem fully convinced.
As Ethan walked out of the room, his expression hardened slightly.
Now he completely understood Halstead's reaction… and that was exactly what worried him.
If Jay acted on his own, everything would spiral out of control.
Just as he stepped outside, his phone rang again.
—Where are you?
—With Jin.
—Another shooting just happened in Harrison Park. I need you here. I sent the location.
—Alright, I'll be there right away.
Hank hung up.
Ethan scratched his head.
—Why the hell is everything spiraling out of control like this…?
Ethan left the tech room without wasting time. He hurried down the stairs and crossed the parking lot.