Arcane Sequence: 1994: Never Stop Running... (WLW)

Chapter Seven: Fourth Precinct, Special Task Force Headquarters, June 22nd, 1994

This chapter contains dark themes.

"Berry, here's the report for Li'l Johnny and Pike that you asked for and some fresh coffee." Ethan softly explained as he marched up to her desk and drew her attention. She peeked toward the DEA officers in the next office over separated by a large glass wall and registered none had heard the rookie, then was distracted by a succulent scent. The smell of coffee wafting toward her lulled her in and she gratefully took it from Ethan. She was dog tired. Berry had been up for the last two days going over file after file of Nadia Costa's official importation business documents, cross referencing them with the secretly copied information their informants had compiled. The transcripts of the audio recordings spoke of an entirely different business to that of the official documents and she knew it was the key to taking down the Costa Family's dock business. "So, you're thinking that if we can bring down Nadia's portside dealings, then that will lead to another take down and her empire will eventually crumble, right? But what if we can't find enough evidence to support the transcripts?"

Berry glared up at the rookie and his eyes grew wide as his neck muscles tightened. "How the hell am I supposed to know? What do I look like? A soothsayer? And speak quieter before they hear you." As soon as the harsh words left her mouth, she dropped her head with a sigh. "Ethan, I didn't mean--"

"It's okay, lieutenant. I understand the pressure you're under." He patted the back of her shoulders and walked around her desk to the evidence table. "Just remember I'm here in it with you. I'm not your enemy and I'm not stopping you even if it costs my career."

"I know, rookie." Berry ducked her head back to her work and grumbled under her breath.

She felt at her wits end. The truth was they had absolutely no physical evidence to back up their hidden recordings and they hadn't heard from their undercovers for the last two weeks. Even before they were officially removed from the case, it wasn't uncommon for them to go silent for more than that. However, during such a tumultuous time, Berry couldn't help the darkened sensation rumbling within herself that only grew deeper with each passing day.

To bring Nadia down, they needed to get the physical evidence alongside the confession and Berry wasn't waiting for the DEA to catch the enemy. Without that, the defendant's lawyers who were just as crooked as the family would get them off and their work up to that point would have been for not. She couldn't allow that. Not when they had so much blood on their hands and she still had no confession. Berry wanted to hear from the horse's mouth herself that she had ordered her sergeant's murder and wouldn't stop her investigation until then.

Once she had it, she would give everything she had over to the DEA and let them make the arrests necessary to topple the Costa Family once and for all.

Being on house arrest for the last two weeks had put a damper on things, but with her return to work, her resolve was even stronger. Not only that, but she had even more to protect now, accompanied by things still hidden that must remain so, and she couldn't allow herself to become--

The phone rang, cutting off her train of thought, and she took hold of the receiver. "Fourth precinct for the city of--"

"Hello, Berry." She felt herself grow turgid as she shot up out of her chair and heard it hit the floor after it plummeted behind her. Several of the DEA officers in the next office over reacted to this, pivoting to glance at her through furrowed brows. A chuckle echoed into Berry's ear, but before she could spit the many insults whirling through her mind into the phone, her greatest foe spoke again. "You doing alright there, bud?"

"Nadia..." Berry grumbled and she saw Ethan run out of the room as he fumbled for the new mobile phone on his hip. She spotted him meeting with Saul as he meandered his way toward their office. He stood to attention as Ethan explained something inaudible to him, then glanced over at Berry. They both made their way back toward the office as Berry kept Nadia on the line, determined to get a good location on her this time. "What the fuck do you want now? I'm not even on your case anymore. You know, when they bring you in, these calls won't go unnoticed. I'll use them in your trial and make sure you are behind bars the rest of your life or on death row."