Detective Ln; An Adam Ruzek Love Story

Pain Killer

Yn's POV

"Well, we know that Ray Price was shot from a distance. The problem is we don't know where the trigger was pulled. It'll be hard tracking the trajectory" Adam said. "The bullet is still lodged in Price's shoulder. No direct-eyeball witnesses and no shot spotter PODs. We pulled all surveillance. As for motive..." Kevin cut me off. "He's black." "There's that. He's also ahead in the polls. There's a lot of people that don't want him to be mayor" I say. "You know, if this is a straight-up assassination attempt of a public official, we're stepping into FBI territory" Antonio said. 

"Look, we still don't know what it is for sure so we treat it like any other case. Get a list of suspects and anyone who might be targeting Price" Voight said. "Hospital detail just called from Med. Ray Price is out of surgery and in stable condition. No major damage. I also went through all of the 911 calls pertaining to threats made against Price. A lot of racial slurs. A brick through his house window. His car was tagged with the N-word last year. It's an ugly list, but nothing actionable. However, there was one incident report that stuck out. It was a week ago. A man was seen in Price's yard having what was described as 'a violent argument' with him. Patrol responded, but Price refused to file charges. He said the whole thing was a misunderstanding" Platt said. "Who made the 911 call" Voight asked.

Voight talked to Price and found out that the guy involved in the misunderstanding was named Mike. Mike said he didn't do the shooting, but it came from right behind him. Jay and Hailey did a sweep of the building and found a shell casing and the window from which the shooter shot Price. They then talked to the security guard and brought what they knew back to us.

"Alright. What do we have" Voight asked. "What we know is that our offender was an African American male. Unknown height, weight, and age, but he was carrying a backpack, which suggests that he was using a collapsible, long-range rifle" Jay said. "He fled in a green car. Unknown year, make, or model" Hailey said. "Alright. Do we have anything on the phone" Voight asked. "Uh, it's a pay-as-you-go burner. It was activated yesterday. No incoming or outgoing calls, but he did keep it on so we were able to triangulate his movements" Adam said. 

"Right, so let's talk about what we know. He was at Bridgeport at 7:15 a.m. He went up to Uptown for an hour all the way to Berwyn. Next thing you know he's at the Boys and Girls Center" Kevin said. "I talked to Price's ward office. He was home all morning. Those routes don't sync up to him" Antonio said. "Look. There's got to be something significant with these locations or was the shooter just driving around randomly" Kim asked. "It wasn't random. That's my house in Bridgeport. I had breakfast in Uptown, and met a C.I. in Berwyn, before I went to the Boys and Girls Club" Voight said. "Price wasn't the target. You were" I say.

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"We were able to cobble together footage of all the locations you traveled to before the shootings. So this is your neighborhood, that's where you had breakfast at TJ's Diner, and that's where you met your C.I. in Berwyn" Hailey said. "The security guard said that he saw our offender fleeing in a green car. In each of these locations, there, there, and right there we see the same green Toyota" Jay said. "So he could've shot you at any one of these places. Why did he wait" Kim asked. "Well, if he's shooting from a distance, he probably doesn't want to be exposed and none of those spots would've been an easy shot. However, he had plenty of time to set up at the dedication. He just missed" Voight said. 

"The car is registered to a Melvin Barnes. He's 42 years old. Has had no run-ins with the police. He's employed as a prison guard out at Stateville. Ring a bell" I ask and show Voight a picture. "I don't know him" Voight said. "The car comes back to a Southside address. It's a rear garden apartment" I say. "Alright. If this guy was a correction officer, it means he's probably armed. I want you going in heavy" Voight said.

At Barnes' house, we only found his dead body. However, we tracked his car to a garage right by the courthouse meaning he had another target. As soon as we arrived at the courthouse, the shooting started. The first bullet hit me right in the thigh, and I fell to the ground, a puddle of blood already starting to pool around me. "Yn! Oh my god" Adam said and ran over to me. He put his arms under my armpits and dragged me behind a car to get me out of the way of the shooting.

"5021. I need an ambulance to the courthouse. My partner has been shot" Adam said into his radio. "Copy that. An ambulance is on its way out" the woman on the other side said. Adam pressed his hands to my wound to stop it from bleeding, but small amounts of blood were still dripping from my leg. "You're going to be okay Yn. I promise" Adam said.

I don't remember much after that. I was in and out of consciousness throughout the ride to the hospital. All I remember is Adam riding in the ambulance with me, squeezing my hand the whole way to the hospital. When I officially woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed, and there was a faint ache in my right thigh. I pushed away the blanket covering me and saw a thick bandage wrapped around my thigh. Just as I was about to get out of bed, Adam rushed into the room and stopped me. 

"You had me so worried. How are you feeling" Adam asked me. "Fine. What happened with the case? Did you catch the shooter" I ask. "We caught him. Now, relax for a bit. You need at least a day of healing time before you can get up and move around" Adam said. "Can you at least come lay with me" I ask. Adam smiled and walked over to the bed, and I moved over so that there was enough room for Adam. He then climbed into the bed with me, and I laid my head against his chest. "Please don't ever get shot again" Adam said. I laughed and looked up at him. "I don't plan on it. Two times was enough" I say.