Tolerance Book III

Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Return

HS Headquarters - 10 Days Later

The Chicago men had bid a fond farewell to the Tucker family with a promise to return at some stage in the future. The remainder of their time off had been spent mostly as a group with Jay only occasionally seeking solitude at the waterfall. It seemed the wilderness retreat had helped to ground him and everyone noted some, but not all, of the melancholy which had shrouded him since his tortuous time with Billings in the hidden room had been shaken off.

In fact during the final days in Harpers Bay the young Detective had actually opened up to Al about one source of his torment, the other Victims who had died in the hotel. Jay had confided in his older friend that he couldn't understand why he had survived when the others didn't. Al knew from Voight that ten Victims had so far been identified, as the Sergeant was being kept in the loop as the investigation had progressed in the evidentiary phase, but had not imparted this information to their youngest Detective. When the pale man had raised the question that plagued him the moustached Detective had initially been surprised by the rare frank disclosure. Hiding same however he had immediately set about reassuring his friend that there was no guilt in surviving and that it was a testament to his resilience that he was still with them. A man of few words, much like the auburn haired man himself, Al had been uncommonly vocal as he adamantly laid the blame for all the Victims at Billings' door. He had finally pointed out that by not doing so Jay would be partially absolving the Serial Killer. The troubled man had eventually accepted the reality of the situation.

Now as the Unit waited for Fielding in the Conference Room to say goodbye on the second day after their return to New York Al looked over to where Jay stood by the window looking out at the dull days' rain. He had finally ditched the sling, although officially too soon to do so, but as a compromise rested the casted limb in his shirt, close to his heart. Although still paler than his usual healthy complexion he didn't look as worn out. The skin under his eyes was no longer bruised attesting to the nights of restful sleep the young man had finally been able to experience. He moved easier although had a way to go before fully recovered. His appetite had improved over the course of the time spent with the Tuckers so they all hoped his weight loss would soon be remedied. Physically he was on the right track. Mentally and emotionally however it was as always hard to tell with the self contained man. He had only spoken to Al on two occasions and apparently had not approached anyone else. There was nothing they could do however as each man had made a solemn promise not to put him under any pressure to talk and they would each honour that promise no matter how hard it was. Al caught Voights' concerned gaze just as the door opened and Fielding strode in purposefully with a worried looking Parker at his side. The moustached man frowned. They had merely called into finalise paperwork and say farewell. The Acting Assistant Directors' demeanour however seemed at odds with that.

The quiet conversations that had been taking place as the men sat around the long table came to an abrupt end as everyone focused on Fielding. Jay turned away from his perusal of the outside world and upon seeing Parkers' expression felt his gut twist.

"What's going on?" Voight as ever didn't waste time.
"Billings escaped," Fielding succinctly explained earning curses and exclamations.
"Dammit!" Adam slapped an open palm on the table needing to vent his fury.
"How?" Al enquired evenly, he kept his anger in check, for now.
"He was being transferred downtown to Court for a competency hearing," Parker took up the explanation quietly, "it looks like the Driver had a medical emergency."
"You sure no one else was involved?" Kevin asked doubtfully.
"Too soon to tell," Fielding noted grimly.
"How long ago did it happen?" Antonio queried.
"Forty minutes ago."
"Where?" Mouse hastily retrieved his laptop from its' satchel.
"42nd Street."
"The Driver having a medical issue as he's transferring Billings is one big coincidence. I don't like coincidences," Voight observed then looked over to the one person whose voice had remained silent and wished he hadn't when he caught a brief glimpse of a stricken look before it was banished, "what do you think Halstead?"
"No point in speculating. We'll find out when the ME confirms cause of death. We'll have to deal with the ramifications in any event."
"Ramifications?" Fielding frowned.
"He's going to kill again," Jay stated with absolute certainty.
"But surely he's going to want to disappear," the Califirnian looked at the grim faces, "killing will only make it easier to get caught."
"He was killing for a long time before we caught him," the green eyed man reminded sombrely.
"Jay's right," Parker put in, "it's gone past freedom for Billings now. If anything it's after getting more personal ....,"
"You mean against Jay?" Adam asked hoarsely, he had been so relieved they were bringing his best friend home but now it was obvious that was not going to happen anytime soon.
"Yes," the Psychologist reluctantly confirmed, "his ego was dealt a major blow when he was outwitted by Jay. Now he's going to be looking for payback."
"Hell Doc wasn't he doing that in the hotel?" Antonio had the question out before he realized its' bluntness and sent an apologetic look to Jay who shrugged off the concern.
"No," Parker too eyed the Detective at the center of the Killers' focus, "before it was envy and a need to have dominance over Jay but now ..,"
"What?" Voight prompted impatiently when the New Yorker hesitated.
"Now it will be a desire for all out revenge. He'll really want to hurt Jay."
"Like he hasn't already?!" Adam scoffed derisively.
"He means he's going to be laser focused on me," Jay quietly explained then added, "and that's a good thing. His fury will make him impulsive and more prone to making mistakes."
"It's likely his killings will be simply a means to an end this time," Parker opined gravely, "he won't be choosing Victims ....,"
".... he'll just kill whoever is in his way," Jay reluctantly concluded.