Tolerance Book III

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Five: Brutal Force

Carson Residence

Once the men were in transit Jay had phoned the Sergeant and over the speaker enlightened the others on the reason for the trip. Tommy had returned home to find his father lying bloody and unconsciousness in the living room. His mother, luckily, was dosed up on morphine in her bedroom and Tommy had locked the Home Care Nurse in her bedroom to ensure their safety in case the Attacker was still on the premises or grounds. In deference to the ill woman Jay had asked that only lights be used rather than sirens when they reached the residence. Tommy had already called for an ambulance and after a quick call to Dispatch Voight ensured it would arrive silently.

As the four men entered through the wide open front door it became clear that the attack had been initiated there as bright red blood droplets marred the entrance once pristine floor. Jay strode towards the living room barely glancing at the scene. What greeted him caused his gut to twist. Tommy knelt on the floor beside his fathers' head, a trenbling hand resting on thr nearest lax shoulder. A cream coloured cushion he had placed underneath the injured head already crimson. Before Jay could speak heavy footsteps heralded the arrival of the First Responders. Advancing towards the shaken blonde Jay spoke gently but firmly.

"Tommy you need to give the Paramedics room to work. They'll look after your father."
"Oh .... right," the young man looked up dazed then slowly rose and stepped back.
"How long ago did this happen?" Voight had approached with Al and Parker.
"I got home about .... twenty minutes ago. Found him ....,"
"Your mother here?" Al checked.
"Oh I forgot," Tommy exclaimed distractedly, "I told the Nurse to lock the bedroom door."
"Good move," the moustached man approved and turned towards the stairs, "I'll take care of it."
"Thanks," Tommy replied as his gaze stayed fixed on his father.
"How about we talk over by the window?" Voight suggested knowing the pale man would not want to leave his father out of sight but needing to get as much information as possible.
"I'll stay right here," the Psychologist offered solemnly, "any change I'll call you over."
"Come on Tommy," Jay urged tugging an arm, "the quicker we get this dealt with the quicker you can be back with your father."

Parker eyed the trio walking away desperately hoping a long awaited reunion hadn't been cut short permanently. The grim expressions the two Paramedics wore as they worked to ready their Patient for transport did not bode well.

As soon as they reached the curtained window Tommy positioned himself where he had a clear view of the injured man. Jay sighed internally. This was the last thing the blonde needed as he tried to acclimatise to his new life. The green eyed man wanted the attack to be related to a robbery gone wrong but even though he had not dawdled at the dwelling entrance his keen observational skills had automatically catalogued the scene. Such a violent attack screamed premeditation. The fact the assault was clearly made without stealth indicated a brazen disregard for being caught and that indicated serious intent. Jay didn't need to speak to Voight as he knew the experienced Sergeant was well aware of the story the entrance alone told. Eyeing the unconscious man he saw the bloodied nose and two already swollen eyes. The dressings the Paramedics had applied to the scalp would were already reddening. That indicated they had not been able to stem the internal bleeding which signalled the gravity of Franklin Carsons' condition. The Detective turned to focus on the concerned son.

"Tommy tell us exactly what you saw when you arrived?"
"As soon as the cab was driving up the drive I could see the door was open .... wide open. It's never left open. I knew something was wrong," the blonde sighed, "the Cabbie took off saying he didn't want to get involved in any trouble."
"As soon as I got near the door I saw the blood ... I thought .... I thought they were dead!"
"But they're not and you did everything right," Jay reassured gently, hating the anguish he saw in the blondes' eyes but needing to question him anyway.
"So what happened next?" Voight probed.
"I saw the Nurse at the top of the landing. She told me my mother was okay but she didn't know about my father."
"So you told the Nurse to stay with your mother and?" Jay prompted.
"No ... well yes ...... but first I went upstairs, checked and asked the Nurse to lock them in the bedroom. I didn't know if there was still someone in the house ....,"
"Good thinking," the Sergeant nodded in approval much as Al had.
"I came down and that's when I really noticed the blood. There was a trail. It led into the living room .... I ...," Tommy faltered, reliving the moment he saw his father on the floor, bloodied and unmoving.
"Was he conscious at that stage?" the green eyed man checked, if Carson Senior had given any details of his Attacker it would give them a place to start.
"Yeah .. he was," Tommy frowned in memory, "at first I thought he was dead ... he was so still. But when I knelt down beside him he opened his eyes."
"Did he say anything?"
"He was worried about my mother," Tommy replied, "and I told him she was fine. I asked him who did this and ....,"
"... and what?" Voight curbed his impatience knowing the young man was probably in shock, albeit slightly.
"He said two guys rang the doorbell. As soon as he opened the door they began hitting him. He said .... he said the scary part was they didn't say anything ....,"
"Was he able to describe them?"
"They were in their 30s. He thought they looked like Boxers. I asked why. He said they both had noses which had obviously been broken in the past. They were well built. Both had short black hair and blue eyes," Tommy recounted the description he had been given, "oh he said they looked alike ... I guess they could be brothers?!"
"Maybe," Jay nodded, scribbling in his small notepad surprised but relieved they had something to go on.
"Any distinguishing marks .... scars or tattoos?" Voight checked.
"He said the taller one had a scar across his right eyebrow."
"That will narrow down the list of Suspects," Jay assured then gestured to where Carson Senior had been placed on a stretcher, "you ride with him and I'll meet you there okay?"
"Uh ...," the blonde shuffled his feet, "would you come with me?"
"Sure," the green eyed man acquiesced after receiving a subtle nod from the Sergeant as Al approached.
"Your mother is fine. The Nurse said with the level of morphine in her system she'll be out of it for the rest of the night."
"Maybe I should stay," Tommy frowned, he wanted to stay by his mother but he also wanted to be with his father!
"Tommy I'm going to be here all night," Al promised solemnly, understanding the impossible position the young man was in.
"And there will be Uniforms here as well," Voight assured, while the Attackers were at large they would take all necessary precautions.
"Where's Brett?" Jay belatedly remembered the Bodyguard, his brain cells clearly not working at full capacity!
"OMG! I forgot!" Tommy paled before the mens' eyes.
"What?" Jay prodded gently.
"When the cab pulled up and I got out he said he'd do a recon of the area!!! He parked his SUV and ....,"
"Didn't he see the open door?" Al asked with a rare arched brow.
"He .... he did. He told me to stay outside while he did a quick perimeter check ...., but I saw the blood. I ... I couldn't stay outside."
"How long ago are we talking?" the moustached Detective asked grimly.
"I don't know!" Tommy replied in anguish, how could he have forgotten that!
"Hey it's okay," Jay calmly laid a comforting hand on the distressed mans' shoulder, "you and I are going to go with your father and Al will find Brett."
"You be with your father," Voight motioned to the departing stretcher being guided out by the Paramedics, it would be best if the blonde wasn't present when they found Hartley.

Jay was caught up in a maelstrom of emotions. He had recommended Brett for the job. Now it had likely gotten the good man killed! The law enforcement petsonnel knew only a quick perimeter check would have been carried out as the Bodyguard would not have wanted Tommy to be left alone for long. Voight, Al and Jay exchanged knowing glances before the auburn haired man headed out with the shaken Carson son.

"Damn it to all hell!" Al cursed vehemently as soon as the small procession was outside and out of earshot.
"Hartley knew what he was signing up for," Voight pointed out evenly.
"That make you feel better?!" Al demanded angrily.
"No," the Sergeant admitted with a heavy sigh then grimaced, "let's find him."
"Yeah," Als' volatile response was spent, it wouldn't change what they were about to find.

Chicago Med

Five hours later in the early morning of a new day Jay sat on a lone, hard unforgiving chair outside the ICU. The Waiting Room wasn't far away but he wanted to he close by for Tommy while not interfering with the ICU staff doing their duties. Two Uniformed Officers, Mike Perelli and John Hicks, stood like silent Sentinels on either side of the ICU doors. Jay knew both older men well. It had in fact been Perelli who retrieved the chair, of his own volition, for the quiet Detective both Officers liked. One didn't need to be a medical professional to know the green eyed man wasn't well, even if the visible injuries hadn't been obvious. Initially Jay had protested the need for the chair but the pair eventually wore him down. That capitulation was further testament to Jays' less than optimal health. That argument had ended three hours ago and shortly after the Detective had received the call he had known was coming and was dreading. Voight had informed him that Hartley had been found at the rear entrance to the house. A bullet wound to the back of the head explaining how he had been callously rendered fatally defenseless.

Footsteps approaching had Jays' head automatically turning and he forced himself to stand up as the Sergeant arrived, as promised.

"This could have happened on any of Hartleys' jobs," the gruff man didn't waste any time on small talk, he wanted the former Ranger to understand and, more importantly, accept there was no blame on his part.
"Did Al have an estimate on how far away the Shooter was?" the green eyed man ignored the well intentioned words for he was more interested in his fellow Snipers' opinion.
"1300 yards," Voight took the change of topic in his stride deciding to revisit it down the line, "he found the Shooters' location. There's a treeline just outside the Carson boundary wall."
"Yeah," Jay recalled the area then stated the obvious, "so this was definitely not a robbery gone wrong. Mouse doing a more in depth check into Carson Seniors' dealings?"
"Yes. It seems nothing was taken .... at least the Housekeeper, Carlotta, said she couldn't identify anything missing. She arrived back from her daughters' wedding rehearsal dinner shortly after you left. We'll need to get an accurate assessment when Franklin can talk to us. So any change since we last spoke?" Voight had been ringing hourly for updates.
"Doc said they don't expect him to regain consciousness until later today. Good news is there's no skull fracture. Apparently that was their main concern."
"How is Tommy holding up?" the Sergeant leant back against the wall and rubbed a hand down his face tiredly.
"He's doing alright actually," Jay replied then added gravely, "once the initial shock wore off he calmed down. Guess living on the streets prepared him for nasty surprises."
"Guess so."

"You thinking this is tied to Gambini?" Jay finally asked the question that had been haunting him the last few hours.
"The brutality is definitely Gambinis' hallmark but why would he target Franklin Carson? Tommy wasn't home and the Sniper at least would have known that. According to Al he had been coming and going to his vantage point for at least a day," Voight didn't pretend to comprehend what various broken twigs or flattened grass meant but luckily he didn't have to as the moustached man was an expert he could rely on, "you need to head home ... to my place ....,"
"No way Sarge. Tommy needs me ...,"
"I'm staying," the older man stated firmly then gestured to Perelli and Hicks studiously pretending they couldn't hear the conversation taking place, "these two won't take their eye off the ball. Get a few hours sleep and start fresh later."
"But ....,"
"Wasn't a request Detective."
"Schucks I think he means business," Perelli gave up all pretense with a wink before becoming serious, "you want to look after the young man in there you need to be able to function."
"I was going to say that!" Hicks stated in mock disgust, despite the levity there was real concern behind the words.

Jay looked at the trio knowing they were right and conceded defeat. He really did need to lie down as exhaustion seemed to cloak him in its' grip. Hopefully after a few hours he would be ready to face whatever was coming .....

tbc