The Lost Halstead Part 2

Going to War pt. 2

"I'm sorry but I'm not comfortable giving our CCTV footage to you." Mouse had asked to see any CCTV footage at the reception, the receptionist had called the headteacher and Mouse still wasn't allowed to see it. "If this becomes a police investigation we will happily hand it over to the police but not to a random member of the public."

"I can get a cop here in a matter of seconds. That's not the problem though, the problem is that a member of your staff has allowed a young girl to leave your care with a random member of the public because he claimed to be her dad." Mouse ranted, getting his phone out and ringing Jay.

"Any progress?" Jay asked, answering his phone on the second ring.

"They won't let me see the footage until they see a badge." Mouse said, keeping eye contact with the headteacher to prove a point.

"Erin can be there in 2 minutes." Jay said, "As soon as you get the footage and confirm an ID ring me."

"Copy." Mouse said.

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"Hey, what's going on? Jay didn't explain much just that I needed to meet you here ASAP." Erin said as she rushed into the school reception.

"I need to see there CCTV footage." Mouse said. "But they need to see a badge." He added.

"This one good enough for you?" Erin said, moving her coat to the side so the headteacher could see it clearly.

"It's protocol." The headteacher tried to make excuses.

"I really don't care, can I see the footage?" Mouse said, clearly agitated. Erin began to put together what was going on as only three things would make the usually calm man this agitated. She had just spoken to one and he had said the second was in a burning building. Amelia. The headteacher spun the monitor round and played the footage sped up. "There." Mouse said as Amelia came out of the school and hesitantly walked away with a man. "I need to ring Jay." Mouse said, excusing himself and walking out of the building.

"Who did he say he was?" Erin asked the headteacher.

"Her father, he signed her out under the name Pat Halstead." He read from a small book.

"Mouse!" Erin called as she walked out to see Mouse pacing, phone in hand obviously preparing to call Jay. "What's going on?"

"Pat has Amelia and his apartment building is currently going up in flames." Mouse said.

"Pat didn't even try and hide his identity from the school, signed her out under his real name," Erin said.

"Do we bring Voight in on this?" Mouse asked her.

"That's up to you and Jay, if you bring Voight in on this Pat is found, cuffed and sent to prison or you go off the books and he winds up dead," Erin explained his options.

"I want time alone with him and I'll bet Jay and Hollie will. I don't have a career in the CPD like you and Jay, Pat doesn't deserve to take that from you." Mouse said.

"Call Jay, update him. I'll call Voight, bring him in." Erin said, placing a hand on his arm as she walked away to make the call.

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"Did they show it to you?" Jay asked, answering the phone watching people rush in and out of the building.

"Yep, it was Pat." Mouse said.

"Did you get a time? I can check it against CCTV footage from in the lifts here?" Jay asked.

"Ten past two, have you told Hollie or Boden?" Mouse responded.

"I wanted to make sure it was him first, I'll go tell Boden." Jay said.

"One more thing, Erin's looping in Voight." Mouse said.

"Copy." Jay said before hanging up. "Cheif!" Jay called, pushing through the crowds to get to him.

"Halstead, any news on your father's location?" He asked.

"About that, can I see CCTV footage from the elevators?" Jay asked.

"It's been melted by the fire." Boden said.

"No, not now. I need to see the footage from around twenty past two this afternoon?" Jay asked.

"Back office." Boden said, directing him in. "What's this about?"

"Mouse and Erin have just been to Amelia's school and she was pulled out by Pat this afternoon." Jay explained.

"And you think she's in here?" Boden worked out where he was going with this.

"The guy at reception said Pat moved apartments so his daughter could move in with him." Jay said as he found the part of the footage he was looking for and played it. The two men watched the footage which showed a man clearly avoiding the cameras with his hand clamped around the wrist of a young girl. "Fuck." Jay muttered, he really had been hoping his father had been smart enough not to bring her here.

"What floor do they get off?" Boden asked, looking at the footage.

"25." Jay said.

"Squad 3's on 24, Kidd and Casey are on 23." Boden said. "Do we have any available units above the fire floor?" Boden asked into his radio.

"Squad 3's still doing secondary on 24." Severide's voice came through the radio first.

"Kidd, Herrmann and I have just finished on 23." Casey said seconds after.

"Casey, Severide and Kidd take 25. Herrmann relieve Severide on 24." Boden ordered. "PD suspects there is a kidnapped female on 25 so be on high alert." He added.

"Copy." Casey and Severide replied.

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"Is it just me that thinks Chief was a bit thin on the details?" Kidd said as the three of them began to clear 25.

"He'll have his reasons." Casey said as they approached 25D.

"Chicago Fire Department is anyone in here!" He shouted as he broke the heavily bolted door in.

"In here!" A quiet voice replied. "See, I told you they would come." The same voice said a few seconds later.

"How old are you kid?" Casey shouted, noticing that the voice sounded like a young girl, like the one Boden and told them to be on the lookout for.

"Eight." The girl replied.

"Step away from the door kid." Severide said as he found the door to the room the girl was in.

"I have." She said a few seconds later. "You need to help Josh." She said coughing as the door came down.

"Amelia?" Severide said as he saw the girl who was seen as family in the firehouse.

"You need to help Josh, he said it's getting really hot." Amelia said.

"Where is he?" Kelly asked, growing scared the girl was hallucinating, Amelia didn't answer and just pointed to a vent in the floor. "Josh." Kelly called crouching down to the floor.

"Help me!" a male voice came through the vent.

"Where are you?" Kelly asked.

"20D." Josh replied.

"Amelia, you need to go downstairs okay? Stella will take you." Kelly said, standing up and placing his hand on her back. "Cheif, we've got the missing girl." Kelly said, realising why he had been so thin with the details.

"Any sign of anyone else in the apartment?" Boden asked.

"Negative, Kidds bringing her down, there's a boy trapped on 20 so we're gonna go get him." Casey said.

"Copy." Boden said.