Tolerance Book I (Chicago PD/Med FF) by Frances51163

Chapter Sixty-Six: Questioning a Nemesis/Farewell To Friends

As Jay stood in the Observation Room watching his father being interviewed by Hank and Al Adam, standing behind him, exchanged a glance with Antonio and Kevin. He wondered if perhaps they had made a mistake in letting the injured Detective be present. Since the interview inside the room had begun Jay hadn't uttered a word although it was obvious he was unhappy with the way the interview was going, or rather not going to be more precise. For the past forty-five minutes, after his rights were explained to him and he declined the right to an Attorney, Halstead Senior had refused to answer any questions. Given that Hank was exuding his usual impatient blunt interview style all of the watching Detectives, bar one, were surprised. Few people sitting in an Interview Room with the Sergeant kept their silence for long. Jay sighed and looked at the others.

"Told ye he wouldn't give in that easily," the pale man reminded the trio of their earlier conversation, "he has nothing to lose."
"Give Voight time," Kevin urged, "he'll wear him down."
"It will take ages," Jay shook his head as he turned and knocked on the glass getting his Sergeants' attention.

Inside the Interview Room Hank turned at the sound on the two way mirror. Turning back to the older man sitting across from him he found him grinning.

"Looks like Jay wants to talk to you," Halstead Senior observed derisively.
"To be honest I think it's you he wants to talk to," Hank spoke calmly as he took his gun out of his holster and stood up taking the bullets out of the gun as he headed for the door, "he told me you like Russian roulette. He also told me how he knew which chamber the bullet was in. Figured he could show me himself how to do it."
"What are you talking about," the smug exterior had disappeared as the gun was unloaded and the implied threat sank in, "you can't do that?!"
"Says who?" Al asked innocently as he got to his feet and began to walk towards the door.
"Ye're bluffing!" the older man blustered as he angrily fought against the restraint of the handcuff on his unhindered arm but the movement jostled his injured shoulder so he had to stop.
"One thing I can tell you about Voight is he doesn't bluff," Al motioned for his old friend to open the door, "come on I'd like to see how it's done as well."
"Wait!"
"What?" Al looked back impatiently as Hank stepped out into the hall.
"I ....... I'll tell ye what ye want to know. Just keep Jay away from me."
"Think it's too late for that," Al shook his head in disapproval and closed the door on the stunned man.

"So what do you think?" Hank asked
as soon as they entered the Observation Room.
"It's not like him," Jay didn't turn away from the glass to look at his friends.
"What do you mean?" Al walked over and stood beside the injured Detective noting the strain on his features.
"I don't know!" Jay huffed out in frustration.
"Kid you have to remember the man you knew as a child is totally different to the guy in there," Hank spoke insightfully as he walked over and gently placed a hand on the young mans' uninjured shoulder to make him look at him, "as a child he would have seemed invincible to you. You wouldn't have seen him as weak or vulnerable even though he was."
"He's right," Adam concurred, "you told me yourself that before the attack at Med you hadn't seen him in years since as you arranged for groceries to be delivered to him without seeing him."
"So?"
"So you're still seeing him like you did as a child."
"Maybe."
"When you fought back the last time you must have seen him for the coward he is," Kevin frowned.
"I ....... didn't dwell on it," Jay ducked his head.
"Jay you have nothing to be ashamed of," Hank spoke firmly, "and from what Will told us about your Mom she would understand that you did what you had to do."
"Don't know about that."
"Well the rest of us do. Now how long do you think we should let him stew? It's up to you."
"Might as well get on with it," Jay looked at the group, "sooner it's over the better."

After nearly three hours the handcuffed man had admitted to kidnapping the Porters and commiting the murders. He refused however to surrender any information about the source of the rifles. Given the fact that he had confessed to all the murders this surprised everyone. The likelihood that there was an accomplice in the wings seemed even more probable. Eventually the prisoner was taken to a cell and the men went back to their open plan office.

"He never brought up that I shot him," Jay voiced something that worried him, "he was unarmed."
"We've gone over this Kid," Hank reiterated, "you shot him in self defence. You weren't well enough to tackle him. That's the truth."
"He didn't even mention it though," Jay didn't acknowledge the reassuring words, "doesn't that seem strange?"
"He knows he's going down for life and arguing you didn't shoot in self defence won't change that," Kevin offered.
"It is strange," Antonio agreed as he pondered the matter, "don't think he's doing it out of the goodness of his heart."
"And if Jay was brought up on charges he'd be suspended or in jail waiting for a hearing," Al looked at the others, "maybe he wants Jay to be free."
"If he has an accomplice he could he waiting to make a move on Jay," Hank continued the line of thought.
"That's unlikely," Jay dismissed the possibility.
"Why?"
"Because he's not into sharing."
"How do you explain Mancini then? Adam rebutted.
"I don't know," Jay sighed placing a protective hand over his painful shoulder, "they were old friends."
"Well they must have trusted each other to share the videos."
"I guess so. But I don't think he made a habit of making friends. How would he know someone else he could rely on not to turn him in?"
"Maybe Mancini put him in touch with someone," Al put forward, "we didn't find anything on his computer to show he had contact with other people who shared his sick ......... hobby .... for want a better word but we can't rule out the possibility that he had a personal connection with someone."
"Given his age group that's more likely," Jay accepted the logic, "he wouldn't have been into social media."
"Definitely not. We checked."
"Okay so for now we have to assume there is still someone out there targeting Jay," Hank spoke purposefully sending a glare to the young man when he opened his mouth to argue, "so you're in protective custody again."
"I'm not going to a safehouse."
"You willing to risk the others in your building?" Al asked succinctly.
"Damn."
"Okay so now that Jay agrees," Hank threw his youngest Detective a rueful look, "we move after our shift."

                  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Two days later the three visiting ex-Rangers stood in Union Station on Canal Street with Jay as the other members of the Unit looked on several feet away. The trio had already bade farewell to the men.

"I don't know how to thank ye," Jay looked at his friends as they stood by a marble pillar outside the busy Amtrak entrance.
"We didn't do anything," Jack moved forward and carefully embraced the smaller man, mindful of the injured arm in its' sling, "just wish we didn't have to get back."
"Ye've lost enough time with yer families."
"Turns out we have one in Chicago too," Mark gestured to the watching men who had become like brothers to them as he hugged his friend, "and we will be back so you better do what you're told and look after yourself."
"Everyone likes bossing me around," Jay complained in mock chagrin as Lance took Marks' place and also embraced him.
"That just means you're worth caring about," Lance stepped back and eyed his former Lieutenant carefully before retrieving a box from an inside pocket of his jacket and handing it to the frowning man, "you earned this."
"Definitely," Mark agreed as they saw realization dawn, "know you wouldn't have gone to the ceremony so we got permission to present it to you. Open it up."
"I ...... ," Jay made no move to follow the instruction.
"Deserve it," Lance finished the sentence with words his friend would never use and quickly opened the box to reveal the Silver Star Medal with its' blue, white and red striped ribbon before stepping back in line with his friends as the three stood to attention and saluted their friend who shook his head blushing as groups of onlookers in the busy concourse paused to observe the scene and his friends behind started clapping.

tbc