We Could Be Heroes

Chapter 8 - Too close to home

*November 7th*

*No one's P.O.V*

The members of the Intelligence Unit were hard at work, tapping away at their keyboards. Each of them were running on empty as pressure mounted to find the person responsible. They were steadily working through the list of suspects, searching for anything that could lead them to the identity of the shooter terrorizing the city and the police department.

Voight worked out in the squad room instead of his office; an unusual event. No words were exchanged between them, for none of them had the energy left.

Footsteps ascending the stairs momentarily halted the sound of their tapping on their keyboards as they looked up to see who it was.

Trudy Platt trudged up the stairs, a sad smile appearing on her face as she took in the sight of the exhausted officers in front of her.

"If you write down your coffee orders on this notepad, I'll go on a coffee run. You look like you could use a caffeine boost" she addressed the team, handing a notepad to Ruzek who wrote down his order and passed it around.

"Thanks Trudy" Voight thanked her, giving her a small nod of appreciation.

"What would you do without me" she joked with a wink as the notepad was handed back to her.

"That's too awful to even think about" Erin said, giving her a hug before she left with a smile on her face.

"I've got a possible suspect with one hell of a motive!" Ruzek announced enthusiastically, jumping up from his chair. "Robert Stevens, 36. His wife was killed in the crossfire of a police shootout two years ago. The officers responsible covered it up and no one was ever held responsible. And most importantly, he was a sniper in the army and received a dishonorable discharge after he went ahead with an assassination despite orders to stand down" he finished, pinning Stevens' picture up on the empty board.

"Alright, take Atwater and go pick this guy up. The rest of us are going to find out everything we can about this guy" Voight ordered, as the members of the Intelligence Unit jumped into action with new-found vigor.

*Burgess' P.O.V*

Roman and I had decided to stop for lunch at the diner just around the corner from the district. We sat down in one of the booths facing the window, watching as people walked past all wrapped up in their winter woolies and with hot drinks in their hands.

"When this case is done, what do you say we have a date night? Go out to dinner and a movie or something like that Roman suggested, taking hold of my hands and smiling softly at me.

"That sounds wonderful" I replied, smiling back at him.

The sound of smashing glass from across the street startled us out of our little bubble. We whipped our heads around to look out the window, the commotion in the coffee shop across the street sending us running over to see what had happened. Entering the coffee shop, we saw a bunch of people crowded around a person on the floor near the cash register.

"Move back, give them some space" Roman ordered, his tone firm. When the crowd of people stepped back, I felt my breath catch in my throat and the bile rise in my stomach.

"All units, we have an officer down from a gunshot wound to the chest at the coffee shop one block south of the 21st district!" Roman shouted into his radio.

"Get us some towels, anything to stop the bleeding!" I shouted to the young woman behind the counter before bending down to apply pressure with my hands. "Trudy, Trudy. Stay with me" I begged, my desperation seeping through my voice as the woman from behind the counter handed me some towels.