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

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Old Schoolfriend

The following morning Jay could tell there was something going on but he didn't know what as he looked at his friends from behind his desk.  He was just about to raise a question about his suspicions when Hank walked out from the back putting away his cell.

"Jay I need to talk to you. Now," the Sergeant walked into his office without giving his Detective a chance to speak.
"You know what's going on?" Jay asked Adam who had just finished a phone call.
"Yeah. Voight will tell you," Adam replied without volunteering anything else.
"Kay," Jay said in resignation as he rose and headed into the office, automatically closing the door behind him.
"Take a seat Halstead."
"I'm fine."
"Take a seat Halstead," Hank repeated pointedly and kept his subordinates' gaze until the younger man acquiesced, albeit with a scowl, "the raid we went on yesterday finally gave us a lead on the AR 15s."
"What? Why didn't ye tell me?" Jay sat up straighter in his chair.
"Long story short we couldn't do anything about it until today so I decided not to tell you."
"Sarge you ........," whatever Jay was about to say was lost in a fit of coughing.
"Take a drink," Hank had walked around his desk and now held out an open bottle of water as he sat down beside the younger man.
"Why ......., " Jay wheezed after taking a small sip.
"Because you looked like death warmed up yesterday and you needed some rest."
"I'm .....,"
"Halstead don't finish that sentence with 'fine' because I haven't shot anyone today and I'm feeling a little trigger happy," Hank gave a familiar warning ruefully before adopting a serious tone, "like I said we have a lead on the rifles.  Mouse did a lot of digging and we finally found out the source."
"Well?"
"You ever hear of Peter Jackson?"
"Doesn't sound familiar," Jay said quietly, "who is he?"
"There was a John Jackson in High School with you," Hank looked at the injured man carefully, "do you remember him?"
"Yeah.  Johnny was in the same year but a different class.  He was a quiet kid.  Always had his head stuck in a book," Jay spoke as he thought back to the boy he had often walked home with after they struck up a friendship one day in the High School playground.
"That all you can recall?"
"It was a long time ago," Jay rubbed his temple wearily not willing to go into detail about the friendship, or more specifically how it started, "Sarge would you just tell me whatever it is you want to tell me?"
"You may remember the Jacksons lived a couple of blocks away from you.  Jackson Senior worked as a Mechanic for many years before being fired.  Apparently after that he went on a downhill spiral and wound up in debt."
"Who does he owe money to?"
"Petrocelli," Hank referred to a well known Loan Shark, Narcotics Dealer and Gunrunner with mob connections the Unit had been chasing for a number of years.
"So what did Jackson have to do to clear his debt?" Jay was more than familiar with the dynamics of Petrocellis' operation.
"Shift ten assault rifles."
"He have a history?" Jay queried with interest.
"No record of any previous crimes but as we know that doesn't mean he didn't sell guns before but .....,"
"Ten isn't a lot for an operation like the one Petrocelli runs," Jay finished the Sergeants' reasoning, "so it was more like a trial run."
"Exactly and we have Jackson so now we have a way to get to Garcia."
"Yeah but what links him to .....,"
"The old man," this time it was the Sergeants' turn to interrupt, "it turns out they frequent the same bar .....,"
"That doesn't mean a thing."
"He boasted to one of Garcias' men that he offloaded four rifles in ten minutes to the old man."
"The raid yesterday ye brought in Jackson and Petrocellis' man?" Jay guessed as he looked at the older man in shock as his words sank in.
"Yes we did," Hank nodded but did not seem as pleased as he should be by the arrests, "turns out Jackson knows Petrocellis' man real well.  Jay ..... it's his son."
"You mean ......,"
"Johnny."
"No," the Detective voiced his disbelief, trying to reconcile the timid boy he knew with one of Petrocellis' men.
"I'm afraid so Kid," Hank had been hoping John Jackson was not well known to the younger man but obviously he knew him well if the distressed look which passed over his features was anything to go by, "he's a made man Jay.  Been with Petrocelli for five years."
"Hell!"

Outside in the open plan office everyone was keeping an eye on the closed door warily.

"He mightn't even know him," Adam pointed out with forced optimism.
"Sure hope he doesn't," Al stated, "Will couldn't remember him but then again he was a couple of years ahead."
"Well if Jay does know him then Sarge will want Jay to use him," Kevin reminded unnecessarily.
"Don't think 'want' is the right word," Antonio objected, "he doesn't want this any more than the rest of us but if there is a connection he'll need Jay to use Jackson Junior as a way to get Petrocelli."
"And we'll need Jay to do it too," Al inserted to remind them this was a joint team task.
"Yeah we will," Mouse joined in with a grimace, "I'm thinking of taking some vacation days.  I hear Alaska is nice this time of year."
"Yeah," Adam agreed hastily, "I always wanted to see Alaska."
"Think that's far enough away?" Al asked wrily.
"Probably not," Mouse said morosely looking surprisingly unworried despite his apparent intention to take off, "think we'd even hear the Docs if we went to Antarctica."
"Yeah well there's still a chance ....," Antonio stopped as the office door opened and Jay walked without glancing at the men as he went into the break room, "hell!"

"You want some company?" Adam stuck his head around the rarely closed door five minutes later.
"Free world," Jay replied from where he stood leaning back against the counter nursing a coffee.
"So you mad at us?" Adam asked as he walked over to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.
"No."
"You mad at me?"
"No."
"So how well do you know the guy?"
"Haven't seen him in years."
"But ye were friends in High School?"
"Yeah," Jay scuffed the floor with the toe of one foot.
"You don't have to do anything," Adam insisted, "you shouldn't be put in that position."
"Not the first time I've been put in a position I shouldn't have been put in," Jay stated without ire, "and it won't be the last."
"Just how close were ye?" Adam probed, trying to get a handle on the potential fallout of using the younger Jackson as an informant.
"Only knew him through school," Jay shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, trying unsuccessfully to convey that this new development hadn't shaken him.
"Well for now we just let them stew.  Give them a chance to worry about their future."
"Some future," Jay scoffed as he threw the remainder of his drink into the sink and rinsed the mug.
"Jay at the end of the day, whatever Voight says, the decision is yours."
"Sarge said he's a made man.  I can't understand how the kid I knew could change that much."
"A lot can happen in that amount of time."
"Guess so," Jay headed for the door but then turned back hesitantly, "you said before I could tell you anything."
"Yeah.  You know you can," Adam assured eagerly, glad he might be able to help his friend in some way.
"I just want to tell you .....,"
"What?"
"I want to tell you ....... I want you with me when I tell Will and Conor," Jay winked before opening the door and closing it on the stunned man.
"Hell!"

Authors' Note

In the mafia a 'made man' is someone who has proven their loyalty by killing someone.