Kilterage led Jimmy to the interrogation room and waited for Officer Stanos. "Take a seat. Want a coffee or some water?"

"Yeah, I will take a coffee. It's gonna be a long night." Jimmy shook his head.

Frank Jacobs just finished with Internal Affairs, rushed past Kilterage's desk headed straight for Jimmy. "Carrick in the room?"

"Go in there and Stanos will have your badge." The younger officer warned.

"I don't care!" Jacobs rushed through the door. "Where are they?"

Jimmy shrugged when he heard the dirty cop's voice. "Who?"

"Joey and Johnny, you bastard!" Jacobs grabbed Jimmy by his jacket.

"How would I know?" Jimmy lied.

Stanos charged into the interrogation room and pulled Jacobs from Jimmy. "Get back to your desk and stay there until I am finished."

"Don't believe a word he tells you!" Jacobs wildly accused Jimmy to Stanos's surprise.

"Get to your desk and wait for me! I won't ask you again." Stanos waited for Jacobs to leave before turning to Jimmy. "You two have a past?"

"Not that I know of." Jimmy would not tell him of their past.

"Well, the two units investigated the break-in at your apartment just got back." He continued, "whoever was in there, trashed your apartment."

"It was Roco and Sledge." Jimmy's stare did not waiver.

"Yeah, well we will know if they left their prints." Stanos needed proof and would not let someone tell him what the facts were. "Now why were they in your apartment?"

"I...I...here goes." Jimmy looked at Stanos. "I exposed Joey Fortune's illicit activities and he went to the Pen for seven years." He cracked is neck. "But someone let the fucker out. Can't imagine how that happened. Huh?"

"The Fortune family has many political connections." Stanos admitted as a knock was heard at the door. "Yeah?"

Kilterage opened the door, raised a couple of files as she walked towards her superior officer. "Results from Mr. Carrick's apartment, Sir."

Jimmy looked on with intent and watched Stanos as Kilterage left the room.

Santos took several minutes reading both files before rising from his seat. "I don't know if I have good news or bad." Stanos flipped through the papers bound with a paperclip. "Roco and Sledge were there in your apartment."

"So, what would be the good news?" Jimmy looked up at Santos.

Santos shook his head. "That was the good news, Mr. Carrick." He opened the second file and tossed it in front of Jimmy. "After Officer Kilterage ran your name through the database, this came up. Want to tell me about your time in New Orleans and the months since?"

Jimmy straightened up to take a look at the photo. "That vacation is gonna haunt me for the rest of my life!"

"Oh really?" Santos pressed his thumb and forefingers against his temples. "You are laying next to a dead prostitute. Some vacation." He pressed Jimmy for more. "Humor me with some details, Mr. Carrick."

"Way too many details for one conversation." Jimmy leaned back into his chair, looked at Santos and started. "The captain of Precinct Nine was dirty along with almost every member of the Nine, except one."

Santos stood and began to pace the interrogation room poking around for a better understanding. "Explain."

"I had a head injury and couldn't remember my own name so Captain Chambered had a photo staged to set me up to take the fall for the Crescent City missing women case."

"Continue." Santos took his seat directly across from Jimmy.

"I am sure it's all in there." Jimmy had no sleep and was not in the mood to relive his time in New Orleans. "Maybe I could read it?"

"No chance. Take me between the lines, Mr. Carrick." Santos leaned over the table to look Jimmy in the eyes at his level.

"Why the interest?"

"I have just been named the head of a new task force for the missing women here in Van City." Santos pushed for more information. "So fill me in on the things that wouldn't be in the report."

Jimmy shifted his body on the chair to get rid of a stitch. "I spent my vacation trying not to get killed or caught by anyone from Precinct Nine."

"They wanted you dead? For what reason?" Santos took a keen interest in Jimmy's answer.

"If I was killed before I regained my memory the case would have been closed and everyone happy." Jimmy gave his chagrined looked. "And that merry ring of human trafficking would still be operating."

"You had help from?"

"I am not naming names for anyone." He shook his head. "It's above your pay grade."

Santos chortled. "Really? I can technically hold you for a few days." Santos countered. "You may want to talk seeing as though there are a few of Fortunes men in the cells as we speak."

"Sounds a little like a threat me."

"It's just a fact."

"I'd be more worried about the men in blue than the guys in the cells."

"You believe we are corrupt here?"

"As the saying goes, 'follow the money'."

Santos felt he had better things to do than get caught in a tennis match of words that leads nowhere. "Okay, you want some time here, be like that."

Jimmy straightened up and was more forthcoming. "A local pickpocket helped me. He knew the city inside-out. He hid me from the police, tracked down who I was, and had connections to the not so pretty parts of New Orleans."

"We know we have similar challenges here in Van City." Santos looked at Jimmy.

"That doesn't surprise me being a port city."

"I have a stack of missing women files two feet high that have nothing to do with that pig farm." The farm referred to another case of several missing and murdered women a couple decades ago.

"And?" Jimmy frowned before getting defensive. "What do you think I can do?"

"It says here, you helped exposed the group." Santos sat then opened the file to the part commending Jimmy. "And I quote, 'Mr. Carrick located several key players in the human trafficking ring and aided in saving over three hundred young women destined for overseas'."

Jimmy corrected Santos. "We didn't catch them all and I didn't do it alone. No one can do that alone!"

"But you had success in a very short time." Santos leaned forward. "In a city you didn't know. While your brain was scrambled."

"Lucky." He looked at Santos. "The captain confessed."

"We need some of that luck here. The numbers are growing and people are looking for answers. Answers I do not have." Santos leaned back against the chair, took a deep breath before asking something that appeared unrelated. "Let's change this up a little, eh? Why is Jacobs so interested in you?"

"Jacobs? If I had to guess, he is on the Fortune payroll." Jimmy shrugged. "It is the only explanation I have."

"Why is it the only explanation?" Santos questioned.

Jimmy sighed. "Roco and Sledge break into my place. They get into that crash. The only officer not to fire on Roco?" He raised an eyebrow. "Jacobs."

"So? Not every officer is expected to fire." Santos countered.

"Roco called out to Frank before being gunned down." Jimmy looked at Santos with sarcasm. "That doesn't raise any red flags for you?"

"Not really."

"You know very well it was dark at Jerricho Beach." Jimmy explained. "Could you identify your officers there in the heat of the moment?"

Santos paused before offering. "I knew I had three units there."

"Did you know Jacobs was one of the officers?" Jimmy stared at Santos waiting for an honest answer.

"No."

"So how would Roco, exiting a flaming car after an accident, identify Jacobs on a dark street?" Jimmy tilted his head. "He did not fire. I heard him tell the investigator."

Santos sat back to digest Jimmy's reasoning.

"Jacobs seems old for his position." Jimmy tried to bate Santos into checking Jacobs personnel file. Knowing exactly how he ended up from investigator to patrol cop.

"He's a good cop." Santos defended Jacobs. "I don't believe anyone here is on the take."

"Now that's just naive. He's on the take." Jimmy snarled. "His partner is likely on the take too."

Reluctantly Santos walked to the door and called for Kilterage. They whispered low enough Jimmy could not hear their conversation.

Santos returned to his seat. "Get a hotel room or go to a friend's place. If they are searching for you, you may want to lay low."

Santos also released Jimmy's car. With the sun rising and very little sleep he needed a place to crash. He found a payphone and called Windy. "Win, I'm out. I need a place to crash. "

Windy took a deep breath. "I will pick you up at the underground parking. You know where. I don't want your car here."

Jimmy made his way to Robson and Bute. The underground parking would keep his car hidden. He paid for a day's worth of parking, then headed to the coffee shop he used to frequent to wait for Windy.

Albert, the owner, a sliver of a man busied himself wiping the tables down before he officially opened his cafe. He recognized Jimmy as he walked in. "Jimmy? Where the hell have you been?!" He smacked his customer on his shoulder. "It's good to see you!"

Jimmy reciprocated the shoulder slap with his friend. "Well ~ I moved out of the downtown ~ I'm up up near Broadway." He tilted his head. "I don't get down here too much anymore." He gave the best smile he could muster with no sleep. "How's business?"

"Almost back to normal after covid hit." Albert smiled.

Albert had a smile that rarely left his face though Jimmy managed to remove that smile with his very next question. He looked around expecting to see Albert's girlfriend of several years. "Where's Gracie? Give her the day off?"

Albert avoided eye contact. "What'll you have, Jimmy?" The talented barista walked around the counter to make his order.

"Albert?" Jimmy walked up to the counter and watched the man he has known for over fifteen years avoiding eye contact with him. "Where's Gracie?" He repeated his question.

Albert could not answer that question. Instead he countered with his own, equally as depressing question. "Seeing anyone?" The cafe owner began making an extra large latte, Jimmy's favorite.

"Ah, well." Jimmy shrugged. "Not for a while. Been busy."

"Yeah?" Albert question his customer.

"Yeah. Why?"

Albert pointed to the window.

"Win!" Jimmy waved her inside.

"I thought you said you weren't seeing anyone."

"Albert, that's Windy. We don't see each other." Jimmy frowned as he searched for the words to explain. "She just is."

Windy heard her friend say those two words. "She is what?"

Jimmy raised an eyebrow to Albert. "You do know how to open a can of worms." He turn to answer Windy.

"Don't bother, it'll just be a lie." Windy noticed Albert. "On the other hand, here is a man I trust." The two made eye contact. "Make two of those, Albert."

"Windy South!" Albert, one of a handful of people who knew Windy's full name, smiled. "The place just gets classier when you walk in. How are you?!"

"Never better. How's Gracie?" Windy lost touch with Albert and Gracie when Jimmy moved. "Are you two married yet?"

Albert slammed the milk jug onto the counter showering himself, the Italian coffee machine and the stainless steel counter with milk. "She is not here. Okay?" He raised his voice in frustration. "My life isn't as perfect as the two of you!" He scowled at the friends.

Windy and Jimmy looked at each other then to Albert.

Windy walked around the counter, placed a hand on his shoulder and asked the owner the same question. "Albert? Where is Gracie?"

Albert grabbed a bar cloth and began to clean up the spilt milk. He shook his head. Tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to talk but words would not escape his mouth.

Windy collected Albert from behind the counter and led him to a corner table. "Jimmy finish the lattes and shut the machine down. Albert is taking the day off."

"That's not neccessary, Windy. The staff will be coming in. Keep everything on, Jimmy." Albert was adamant pointing at his friend. "Leave it on!"

"Okay, Albert." Jimmy finished making the lattes before walking to the corner table then sat with Windy and Albert.