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The moment the elevator doors dinged and opened at the second floor of the office, (Y/N) could already tell something was off. The girls sat in the two rows with the telephones ringing amongst them had enough time to whisper words to each other, none of them paying much attention to who had just entered. One of the girls even placed a comforting hand on one's shoulder and gave her a tissue to dry her eyes due to the tears threatening to spill her eyes. (Y/N) glanced at Peggy to see if she had a clue what was going on, but she was just as clueless.

When both girls reached the other door that led to the precinct, they turned toward one of their few female coworkers with frowns.

"Rose? What is it?" Peggy questioned carefully.

"Oh, Peggy," Rose spoke with a solemn look, yet she didn't say anything right away. "It's too awful."

Rose only told them what she knew, and (Y/N) couldn't believe her ears at first. Surely she wasn't interested in anything that followed after the surname Krzeminski, but what came after it this time made her blood turn cold.

It was a silent walk toward the precinct, where everyone was either at a loss of words or focusing on work, none paying attention to them entering the office. When (Y/N)'s eyes found the desk she was looking for, it made the news told by Rose a little more real — the flowers on top of the sheets of paperwork adding fuel to that fire. There, as terrifying as it was, laid the last bits of peanut shells Krzeminski left there before he died yesterday night.

"Really puts you back there, doesn't it?" Sousa's words rang in the quiet bullpen. "Somebody buys it, you realize could happen anytime, any day."

(Y/Nh removed her eyes from the desk, "How did it happen?"

"Professional hit," Thompson answered her question, his voice coarse since it was probably his first time speaking after hearing the news. "Him and our only witness. Must have been watching us at the scene."

"I knew something was fishy about that anonymous tip," Sousa shook his head. "Who does that?"

"A concerned citizen?" Peggy questioned.

"Concerned citizens call the cops. This guy called us directly. It's not like we're in the phone book," Sousa argued with her, his tone growing bitter. "Somebody targeted them, and I'm gonna find that bastard."

Chief Dooley walked out of the comfortable four walls of his office with his eyes bloodshot, obviously shook to his core due to the news. It struck (Y/N) hard to see him this way, even after yesterday's events.

"Whatever happened last night, don't any of you forget. . .Krzeminski would still be with us today if it wasn't for Howard Stark, whether he pulled the trigger or not," he spoke slowly, as if he were to talk any faster, he'd yell out of anger. "We're only neck-deep in this mess because of him. I want action plans on my desk in one hour."

Everyone nodded at his orders, obviously not wanting to cause trouble when he was in that state.

"Stay vigilant," Chief Dooley warned. "I'm not losing any more of you."

He stayed silent for a few seconds, wetting his lips before his shoulders dropped in a realization.

"Now I got to go call Krzeminski's wife."

He disappeared back into his office, leaving everyone in their own worlds. (Y/N) lowered her head in shame, not knowing what to say or think at the moment.

Thompson sat straight in his chair. "I'll call his girlfriend."

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That night called for a visit to the L&L Automat, even if Angie and Peggy were on rough terms. (Y/N) hadn't spoken to Angie in a while, but according to Peggy, she had been offended after she tried to dismiss her for yesterday's activities. It took a whole lot of convincing from (Y/N)'s part to make Peggy go with her to the automat, but was successful nonetheless.

The doors to the automat swung open and allowed both of them to enter the warm air of the restaurant, the noise alerting Angie almost instantly. She looked up from serving coffee to a customer, her eyes glimmering when she spotted (Y/N), but hardening when she saw Peggy.

After finishing with that one customer, Angie walked toward the ladies, who had sat at the bar. "The usual?"

"Yes, please," (Y/N) initiated the conversation.

"Anything else?"

"Uh. . ." Peggy cleared her throat after receiving a kick in the shin from (Y/N)'s part. "thought I might tell you about my day if you have a moment."

"Yeah, that would be a nice change," Angie's eyes softened. She leaned her elbows on the bar and all signs of bitterness were gone from her face. "I got plenty of time on my hands. All ears."

"It's just that, one of our co-workers died today."

"Geez, English, that's too bad," Angie's eyes widened in surprise. "Right there on the job?"

"Yeah, it was sudden."

"I know how you feel. Blindsided. Like when my cousin Ralphie got hit by a bus," Angie began her usual ramblings. "Granted, he did just knock off a newsstand, but still. Big shock."

"Oh, I don't know why it's hit me so hard," Peggy shook her head with a slight crack in her voice.

"He was — "

"Rude," (Y/N) cut in, picking at her nails. "I hated him, but that doesn't mean I wanted him to die."

Part of her thought it was her fault. If they hadn't told Mr. Jarvis to make an anonymous tip, Sousa and Krzeminski wouldn't have made it to the pier and the latter wouldn't have been killed in cold blood. It seemed unfair, if she thought of it.

"A brute, a cheat," Peggy agreed. "He was disrespectful but, he was good at his job."

"I'm really sorry, girls," Angie reached both her hands to grab theirs. "What can I do?"

"Miss, could I get a refill?" a man, sat on one of the booths, asked loudly for Angie to hear.

Peggy smiled knowingly, ignoring the man behind her. "Do you still have that Schnapps?"

"Miss?"

"Let me get this jerk his refill, and I'll clock out," Angie grinned, pulling back from leaning forward.

"I don't know, that jerk seems to like you," (Y/N) said with a teasing tone.

"Shut up, Brooklyn," Angie smiled as she grabbed the coffee pot. "You talk too much."

small chapter but it's a double update day !!

i honestly feel conflicted about krzeminski's death because he didn't deserve to die but he was also a jerk sooo

- see you soon, bex <3