The Arrangement | Jay Halstead

Chapter 22 | Neighbor Watch

Part 22

Inspired by season 3 episode 2

Anna was back. It took Jay getting kidnapped for her to realize that during the storm, she found calmness in the chaos. She needed Jay, she needed the team.

Jay was on medical leave for about a week before he was back. He was recharging and healing. Anna had spoken to him twice during the week he had been gone.

The team got a new case, a little boy was found killed in a fridge. Outside in a backyard, the team was there and it was Jay's first case back.

"This is a black neighborhood, always has been. We're gonna find out somebody moved that kid here" Hailey said, Anna nodded her head as Jay walked up behind the two.

"That call that was on the zone this morning? Kid went missing from Rogers Park. I think this is him" Jay said, crossing his arms.

Anna shot Jay a small smile, despite the sad scene in front of them. He returned it and Anna turned to Hailey. "We're gonna solve this. Whatever it was" Voight said to Antonio. "I know we will"

-

"You know I started a knock-knock- joke three blocks ago?" Anna told Antonio who was driving the car. "Sorry. It's these cases with kids. It's always the hardest. You'd think you get used to it, looking down on someone's son. Their daughter. Seeing your own kid staring back at you" Antonio said and Anna nodded, seeing what he was feeling.

"I don't know, man. "You get used to it" you're either lying or you're giving yourself too much credit" Anna said with a frown. "Yeah"

Back at the precinct everyone had settled in. "We owe this kid our best. So what do we know?" Antonio called out.

"All right, tender age child found dead in a black neighborhood. We're still waiting on the ME but the responding EMTs indicate that, um, the kid's neck was snapped. Stabbed in the abdomen three times" Adam told everyone.

"His name was Jeremy Dolan. He was reported missing 36 hours ago from Rogers Park. He was eight years old. His parents are Richard and Rochelle. They're waiting at the morgue to ID the body" Jay came in and told the team.

"Rogers Park? That's three miles north of that house" Anna commented. "Or he was probably killed elsewhere and transported to the scene. We got no eyeball witnesses of the body being placed, though" Adam said.

"Do we know who owns the house?" Jay asked. "Yep, local reinstate investors. That's one of 150 properties that they're buying and fixing up in that area" Atwater added.

"All right, we start in Rogers Park. I want all  in-service calls last 48 hours. Where was he abducted? Maybe someone heard a scream or saw a car they didn't recognize, a strange face, something"

Antonio and Voight went to talk to the parents and the team stayed. Getting up to speed with the case, with the details.

After talking to the neighbors of where the kid and his parents live, the team came up with nothing and went back to the bullpen. They came up with a Darren Woodhull and Hailey and Antonio went to see him.

-

Anna, Jay, Antonio, Hailey and Voight geared up to get Darren. He had lied about his alibi. Jay broke the door open and the team scattered to clear out the house.

Jay followed after Anna when she secured the rooms, one hand on her back, on her spine as he moved behind her. Anna motioned for Jay to go left and he did, which left her to secure the room, but as she went further in, a closet door opened and a guy aimed a shotgun at her chest.