A Blessing in Disguise 5 | COMPLETED

Last Known Address

The footsteps of people coming up the stairs reached Sgt. Voight's ears. An emotionless voice called out to him as he closed the door to his office. "Sergeant Voight," the woman's heels clacked against the tiled floor as she walked towards him. Along with the people that trailed her, she came to a halt on the moment she stood a few meters away from the stoic man. "I am Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille from the New York FBI task force. This is special agent Maggie Bell and special agent OA Zidan," Isobel turned her head towards the people behind her. "Detective Jay Halstead," Sgt. Voight gestured his hand towards Jay. This caused Jay to nod towards the group of FBI agents, but the brunette was clearly bothered about the arrival of their visitors.

"Sergeant," Isobel says as she motioned her head towards Sgt. Voight's office. The said man walked back to his office and left the door open until the newcomers were all inside. Jay's suspicious eyes followed them into the office until the door and blinds were shut. His line of sight then shifted back to his computer. He read through the file displayed on his screen. In the midst of his reading, he couldn't help the feeling that this was all too easy. Unconsciously, he found himself staring into the strange man's photo and back at his superior's office door. He was certain that this was the man he had looked for; the man who just entered Sgt. Voight's office with the other FBI agents.  A question quickly formed in his mind—'How did Hailey find out?'

Before any more questions could form in Jay's mind, the metal door buzzed open and the sound of three familiar voices entered the bullpen. Jay looked up from his computer screen to see Kim, Adam, and Kevin smiling at each other while they climbed up the stairs. "Hey, Jay," Kim says with a big smile on her face. Jay smiled like nothing was wrong and greeted her back. He then quickly closed the file he was looking at on his computer. As the three newcomers set their things aside to start their day at work, Sgt. Voight's office door swung open with the people inside coming out. The eyes of the three officers darted back and forth between Jay and the FBI agents. A silent conversation was shared between the men which replaced their  happy expressions with serious ones. "Officers Kim Burgess, Adam Ruzek, and Kevin Atwater," Sgt. Voight introduced.

Isobel acknowledged each one of them. "I'm special agent-in-charge Isobel Castille. These are special agents Maggie Bell and OA Zidan," Isobel introduced herself and her colleagues. "I wish we'd all met under better circumstances," Isobel started as she signaled  Maggie to distribute brown folders to each of the intelligence members. "In that folder, you'll find a profile of Clinton Barnes. He just blew up a stadium back in New York and is believed to be a suspect in other unsolved bombing cases. We raided his last known address in New York and we found different photos and paperworks that indicated that this district, specifically this unit, is his next target," Isobel informed. Suddenly, Maggie's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw a text from Jubal. All eyes were on the woman as she read the text message. After a few seconds, Maggie looks up from her phone. "We got an address for Clinton Barnes here in Chicago."

A while after Maggie told everyone the address, the intelligence team with special agents Maggie Bell and OA Zidan were securing the perimeter of an old house known to be Clinton Barnes's last known address. "Chicago PD!" Jay announced and swung a battering ram across the old wooden door. The intelligence team along with the FBI agents stormed into the house. Several yells of "Clear!" traveled throughout the building as each agent went to their designated area.

"Upstairs is clear," Maggie told the team as she and OA came down from the upper floor. As the dark-skinned woman entered the kitchen, a muffled shout was heard beneath the room's floor boards. "Guys!" Adam called out. Hearing his slightly frantic tone, everyone immediately went down to the basement. Goosebumps prickled each person's skin as they entered the room. The basement was dimly lit with a single fluorescent tube attached to the ceiling. Across the metal staircase that was found in a hallway between the kitchen walls, several file drawers were pushed against the wall. Underneath the staircase were several crates and boxes. Adam could be seen on the left-most corner of the room where a desk with a desktop stood near the said drawers. While some people went to rummage through the crates and drawers, some walked towards Adam. Over his shoulder, they saw that the male was holding several photos; a deep frown decorated his face as he scanned through each of them. "Adam?" Kim's soft voice snapped Adam from his thoughts.

Adam immediately looks up at her and sees the questions she had in her eyes. Without replying to her, he extends his arm to give Jay the photos he had examined. "You gotta see this," the apprehension in his tone made the room's atmosphere more tension than it already had. With a trembling hand, Jay cautiously took them into his hands. It was rare for Adam to use that tone during operations. "What the-," Jay paused as he looked through the photos. In another universe, he would've found himself trembling on his knees due to his realization. But no, he wouldn't allow that. Determination surged within him as he clenched the photos he held; the pictures with the faces of Hailey, Vanessa and Lizzie. What alarmed him even more was that they were taken at various places and time periods.