In the bullpen, after Halstead left, Commander Perry did not stay much longer either.
Erin pushed her way through, quickly followed by Ethan and Olinsky, who hurried into the sergeant's office.
—Hank, you have to do something —Erin said, stepping toward him, unable to hide the anguish in her voice— Jay didn't kill Lonnie.
Hank did not answer right away.
Looking at the photos in her hand, Erin spoke with a worried expression:
—He's not that kind of person. You know that, right? You know him. He can be impulsive, he can be stubborn, but he's not a cold-blooded killer.
Everyone had heard the conversation from a moment earlier.
The truth was that Jay had both the means and the motive to do it.
No one could deny that.
And from the outside, the evidence did not work in his favor. The surveillance cameras had caught him following Lonnie the night before, right after he claimed he had stayed home watching the game.
Everything pointed to Halstead as the main suspect.
—I only believe what I see.
Hank's voice sounded hoarse when he spoke, as if every word cost him more than usual.
—Yesterday I warned him not to be stupid. I told him to stay away from Lonnie.
He pointed at the photos on the desk with a sharp gesture.
—And what did he do? He followed him. He followed him after lying to us, saying he had stayed home.
Erin clenched her jaw, refusing to accept what the evidence seemed to say.
—Then help him —she said, stepping toward him— You can't just let Internal Affairs tear him apart.
Hank looked at her harshly.
—And what do you want me to do, Erin? Hide the photos? Pretend they don't exist? Tell Perry that one of my detectives followed a suspect the night he turned up dead, but that it's fine because we trust him?
No one pushed any further.
Ethan looked at the photos one last time before leaving.
In them, it was not only possible to make out Halstead's vehicle behind Lonnie's car; his face could also be seen with complete clarity.
A short while after they returned to their desks, Antonio entered the bullpen. He did not need to ask much. One look at everyone's tense faces was enough for him to understand that the situation was worse than Erin had let on.
First, he went into Hank's office to get briefed. The conversation lasted only a few minutes. When he came out, he wore the same powerless expression as the rest of them.
There was not much they could do. Not officially.
A moment later, Ruzek and Sumner also arrived at the precinct.
Sumner took off her coat as she came in, glanced briefly at Ethan, then headed toward the break room without saying a word. Ethan followed the sway of her hips with his eyes and smiled.
He picked up his empty coffee mug and calmly walked into the room, as if he had only gone in for coffee. He poured himself more than half a cup, added a little milk, and dropped in a sugar cube.
Sumner, who was nearby, sensed his presence before she looked at him.
Her legs almost weakened. Remembering the most intense moments of the night before, she involuntarily pressed her thighs together, hating herself for reacting that way.
She had decided to set boundaries.
So she took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and prepared to speak before Ethan could say anything.
—What happened…
Sumner had barely begun speaking when Ethan calmly interrupted her, stirring his coffee with the spoon.
—Listen, Sumner, last night shouldn't have happened. We drank a little too much, things got out of hand, and that's it.
He tapped the spoon lightly against the rim of the mug.
—Besides, you have a boyfriend, and I… well, Lindsay and I have something going on. So it's better not to overthink it.
Sumner opened her mouth, but Ethan continued before she could say anything.
—Let's call it a one-night thing. A sexy, happy accident. Nothing more.
—What the hell?
Sumner's fingers trembled with anger, and she immediately lowered her voice.
The lines she had been preparing had just been spoken by him first.
Worse, he had done it with an irritating calm, as if he were the one setting the boundaries. As if it had been her fault. As if he were simply being reasonable.
Sumner's breathing became uneven. She stared at him, a mixture of fury and shame burning in her eyes.
—I'm glad we had this conversation.
After saying that, she left the pantry with tense, almost unsteady steps.
—Phew…
Ethan slowly blew over his cup of coffee and took a sip.
It felt pretty good to turn the tables. That way, she would not bother him with that conversation again.
Thinking of that, he let out a quiet chuckle.
—What's going on between you two?
Erin, who was outside, had noticed the scene. She looked toward the exit where Sumner had just disappeared, then turned her gaze back to Ethan.
He calmly took his mug and shrugged.
—Nothing important. We went out drinking yesterday, she had a little too much, and now she doesn't want anyone finding out.
He took a sip of coffee, as if it were not a big deal.
—You know how things are. Hank has had her under the microscope since she joined Intelligence. The last thing she needs is rumors starting to spread about her.
Erin watched him for a second, not entirely convinced.
—Is that all?
Ethan arched an eyebrow, and a slow smile appeared on his lips.
—Wait… are you jealous?
—What? —Erin frowned at once— Don't be an idiot.
—No, no, now it all makes sense.
Ethan lowered his mug, pretending to analyze the situation seriously.
—The suspicious look, the sudden interrogation, that "explain to me right now what's going on with the new girl" tone…
—Ethan.
—Relax, Lindsay —he said, leaning slightly toward her— If you're worried Sumner is going to steal me away, you can say it. I won't judge you.
Erin looked at him with a mixture of irritation and embarrassment, then punched him in the arm.
—You're an asshole.
—That's not a denial.
—I'm not jealous.
Ethan took another sip of coffee, enjoying her reaction far too much.
—Sure… —Ethan raised the mug with a crooked smile— I know it's hard having a boyfriend this handsome, smart, and capable. It's normal for you to live in fear that someone might try to steal him.
—Keep talking and I'm going to put my fist in your mouth —Erin said, crossing her arms.
—Your way of showing affection is concerning.
—And your mouth needs to learn how to shut.
—Difficult. It's one of my best qualities.
—It's nowhere near the top ten.
Ethan placed a hand over his chest, pretending to be hurt.
—That was cruel, Erin Lindsay. I was only trying to ease your jealousy.
—I'm not jealous.
Erin snatched the coffee mug from him.
—One more word and this ends up on your head.
Ethan looked at the mug, then at her, smiling.
—Okay… but you're pretty aggressive for someone who says she isn't upset.
—Ethan —Erin said, amused, though she was clearly trying to shut him up.
—All right, all right.
He raised one hand in surrender.
Erin let out a dry laugh, but she could not keep a faint smile from slipping through.
—You're unbearable.
—But handsome, smart, and capable.
—And humble, of course.
Ethan carefully took the mug back.
—Humility is overrated.
Erin shook her head, still smiling faintly.
For a second, Erin's annoyance mixed with something warmer. Then she gave him a light punch on the arm and stepped away.
—Finish your coffee, idiot. Hank's going to call us any second.
Ethan shrugged again, still smiling.
—As you wish, jealous detective.
Distracted by him, Erin forgot for a moment what she had wanted to say. Regaining her composure, she asked with a frown and a worried expression:
—Halstead is going to be in a lot of trouble this time. Do you have any idea how we can help him?
Of course, it was a major problem. At the moment, all the evidence was against Halstead.
Even if he had not done it, he still needed to prove his innocence and find the real killer.
Otherwise, even if his lawyer won the case, he would not be able to keep his job.
—I'll try to find a solution.
Ethan drummed his fingers against the coffee mug.
—Homicide has the investigation —Ethan said, lowering his voice a little— That's the most complicated part.
He looked toward Hank's office, then turned his eyes back to Erin.
—And Internal Affairs is going to be watching every move we make. If we try to get directly involved in the case, we'll be giving Stillwell exactly what he wants.
Erin pressed her lips together, frustrated.
—Then we can't do anything.
—I didn't say that.
Ethan set the mug on the table.
—I only said we can't do it the normal way.
He paused briefly.
—Right now, the only person who knows exactly what happened last night is Halstead. Maybe he's the only one capable of spotting the pieces that don't fit. I'll talk to him and to Hank.
Erin looked at him, slowly understanding what he meant.
—Thank you —she said quietly.
Erin nodded slowly.
—Please.
Ethan shook his head, as if there was no need to thank him.
Yesterday it had been Olinsky.
Today it was Halstead's turn.
The Intelligence Unit was going through a rough patch, the kind where every blow seemed to come before the last one had even finished landing, typical of a show's season finale episodes, meant to keep the tension high.
The two of them left the pantry together. As they passed Sumner's desk, Ethan noticed how she immediately lowered her head, pretending to be focused on some papers she clearly was not reading.
He said nothing.
He just kept walking.
Knock, knock.
Hank appeared in the doorway of his office and rapped his knuckles against the frame, drawing everyone's attention in the bullpen.
—Do we have anything urgent today?
He looked around. Most of them were at their desks, half busy, half waiting for the day to remain quiet.
—No.
Antonio spun his pen between his fingers without lifting his eyes much.
—Then everyone get to work —Hank said, clapping sharply, making several of them raise their heads at the same time— An Amber Alert has been issued. I want everyone on the street helping with the search.
The laziness floating through the bullpen vanished at once. Chairs scraped, jackets were grabbed on the fly, and badges were adjusted on belts as the Unit began moving again like a single team.
—Move, move —Hank ordered, already leaving his office— Every minute counts.
The laziness disappeared in an instant.
An Amber Alert was not just any notice. It meant a minor had disappeared or, worse, might have been abducted.
Chairs scraped against the floor. Jackets were grabbed on the fly, badges hung from belts, and everyone began moving at the same time.
Since they had no other urgent case on their hands, Hank took command of the investigation without wasting a second.