Listen to Her || A Chicago P.D. Fanfiction

24- Case 6

A/N: The episode being used for this chapter is 'Start Digging'.

~2 weeks later~
Thursday night
"Is Danielle coming over or it's just us?" Al asks his best friend who sits across him at Hank's house. "Just us. I did invite her, but she had to decline. Julian asked if she could help him and María by looking after Jeremiah while they set up their new front door." Hank answers. "I seriously can't believe Saucedo would do that. Especially to them since they have a child." Al says softly. "It takes all kinds. I told her to come over whenever she's done and she said she would." Voight says, Olinsky nodding a bit. The Sargent's phone buzzes on the coffee table, the screen lighting up. Hopeful that it's their crush, he picks it up, noticing it is in fact a text from Danielle saying she's outside. Before he opens the text, he receives another one from Trudy. "Hmm." Hank hums softly, motioning for Al to follow him as Voight gets up, walks to his coat holder near the front door, then puts on his jacket. After locking up, they both turn to see Danielle sitting in her car at the end of the driveway, parked behind Al's. They both make their way over to her, Al wondering why his buddy locked the front door. "Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but I brought pizza." Danielle says with a smile, pointing to the warm pizza box sitting in her passenger seat once both men are standing at the driver side door. "Thank you, sweetheart, but I don't think we'll get to eat it while it's warm. We have a case. Body just got found in a park. Follow me." Hank tells her with an apologetic smile before looking at Al, both nodding. While the two men get situated in their cars, Danielle backs out of the driveway, watching Al do the same then Hank, soon the three are in a beeline as they speed to the scene.
"Hey, Sarge. We got one dead female found in the trunk." Kevin greets Hank once he, Danielle, and Al have arrived to the scene, lifting the caution tape for them. "A park district employee was closing the gates. He was about to have the car towed when he noticed blood on the rear of the car and called the police." Antonio adds, walking with his boss, Atwater, Rodriguez, and Olinsky to the car's popped open trunk, a bruised and bloodied up woman with bound hands and feet lying there. "Victim's hands and feet are tied with barbed wire. Throat's cut, fingernails are gone, too. I'm guessing she fought back against the assailant. He knew there'd be DNA so he yanked them off." Halstead informs them all as the 6 keep looking at the woman. "Cartel hit?" Hank asks in general. "Or Russians. They've been known to use barbed wire, too." Antonio answers, Danielle looking at her work phone. "Mouse ran a work-up. Car's registered to the victim. Her name's Melissa Wilds. She's 26 years old. We got an address." Danielle tells everyone, showing Hank the picture of Wilds that Mouse sent with the information. "Alright. Call Ruzek, tell him to meet you there and do a knock-and-talk." Hank orders Al who nods and excuses himself as he makes the call to Adam.
Once Al arrives, he and his partner take a look around the small home before Al walks up the steps, knocking on the door while using a flashlight to try and see inside the front windows, Adam standing at the bottom of the porch stairs. "I'll call in for a warrant." Ruzek says when no one answers the door. "What's going on?" A woman's voice asks, Adam and Al turning around quickly, being met by a teenager and a little girl. "We're the police. Who are you, ma'am?" Al asks the teen. "Tricia Reynolds. I'm Melissa's friend. Um, I've been waiting for her to get home. This is her daughter, Tigan." Tricia answers and explains, Ruzek and Olinsky slowly walk up to her and Tigan. "Did something happen?" Tricia asks, both detectives feeling bad they have to break the news about Melissa. "Where's mommy?" Tigan softly asks Al. "Tricia, is everything alright?" A different woman's voice asks, Adam and Al looking at Tricia's porch to find her mother standing there. "Yeah, everything's fine, mom." Her daughter answers. "Tricia, you think your mom could take Tigan inside, please?" Adam asks. "Yeah." Tricia answers. "When's mommy coming home?" Tigan asks her babysitter. "She'll be home soon." Tricia answers, telling the child to go back to the house where Tricia's mom keeps her on the front porch while Tricia turns to look at both detectives. "We found Melissa about an hour ago. She's been murdered." Al softly breaks the news to the babysitter who's face drops. "Oh my God." She whispers in disbelief. "Tricia, did Melissa say where she was going tonight, or......" Adam asks, waiting to write the babysitter's answer down. "No, um, she just said she had to meet someone, so she asked me to watch Tigan for her." Tricia answers. "Where's Tigan's father?" Al asks. "Peter? He, um, he was in the Army. He died, um, in an accident last year." Tricia answers, her voice growing shaky as the reality of Tigan not having both her parents hits her. "Alright, well we're gonna need you to come down to the district, just answer a few questions, call Tigan's next of kin." Al tells her gently, Adam looking down at the sidewalk, heart aching for the kid. "But, who would want to hurt her?" Tricia asks very softly, tears falling from her eyes. "That's what we're going to find out." Adam answers.