⋆° დ ༄ RISKY BUSINESS
chapter nine. a material witness.

Maxine sits at the counter at the diner near her apartment, taking a sip of her coffee when the waitress sets her plate down in front of her.

"Pauline, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What's up, sugar?"

"How long have I been coming here?"

"Mmm. I'd say probably ten years. Why?"

"So, it's safe to say you know me pretty well, right?"

"Yeah, that's safe to say"

"So, you know I'm a pretty smart person"

"Where is this going, Max?"

"So when a guy—" Maxine was cut off by her phone ringing, "hold on" then she checks the caller ID, "it's Dawson . . . go for Bishop . . . okay, I'll be right there" then she hangs up her phone, "I gotta head in early." Then she takes a bite of her toast, "put this on my tab, I'll pay for it tomorrow, promise" then she rushes out of the diner.

Pauline shakes her head, chuckling, "that girl"

🪩🪩🪩

"Calaca. Means 'skeleton' in spanish. My money's on the Latin priests. That's the kind of name they give their boys" Antonio tells the team, who are gathered in some sort of huddle.

"Neighbors don't claim to have seen anything" Mickey states, crossing his arms over each other. 

"And there's no security cameras either" Adam says. Sumner walks onto the unit and Antonio says, "Shift's already started. Where you been?"

Sumner sighs, handing Hank a file and says, "The report you requested, Sergeant. A breakdown of all drug related busts in the Pilsen area in the last 12 months"

"How many files did you have to go through?" Erin asks and Mia gives her a tight lip smile.

"Alright, now get me a list of all gang affiliated males in the neighborhood that were arrested with a weapon who are between 5'2 and 6'3" Hank says.

"Our gunman's 5'9" Jay states.

"You can never be too careful"

Mia nods her head and walks away, while Maxine and Erin share a look.

"Alright, let's find this Calaca and get a confession so Lexi doesn't have to testify. Use any means necessary"

~~~

"I didn't see anything"

"It was your house. How is that possible?" Antonio asks Kenneth (the person who threw the party) in interrogation, while Jay and Maxine watch from behind the two way mirror, "Kenneth. Now's not the time to get shy"

"I was in my bedroom, with a girl"

"You always hang with gang bangers?"

"Well, it's not like that. It's the neighborhood. Everybody's welcome"

"Russell had 20 wikki sticks on him when he was shot. Now don't tell me you didn't know there were drugs at your party."

"Russell sells us weed sometimes. But PCP? No, not that I ever saw"

Antonio gets up from his seat, grabbing his coat and leaves the room and walks into the viewing room, when Maxine says, "This kids as soft as a daisy. There's no way he's affiliated with a gang"

"Maybe Russell's mom knows something" Antonio suggests.

"Is no one gonna talk about the fact that Voight got arrested last night?" Jay asks. Antonio makes a face, putting on his jacket and says, "He was put in cuffs once before by me. He got out of those pretty easy. Why should this time be any different?"

"Wait. So let me get this straight. The rule of law doesn't apply to Voight? Just so I'm clear"

"Just do your job" Antonio says, leaving the room. Maxine looks at her partner and puts her hand on his arm to comfort him then walks away.

~~~

"Four dead latin priests killed execution style, displayed on a soccer field" Hank says, as he and Antonio finished taping up the pictures onto the whiteboard, "It was a reprisal shooting for Russell Thompson, member of the G-Park lords"

"Russell was a low level runner for TMac Pierce" Dawson says, taping his picture onto the board.

"I remember TMac" Burgess says, "Yeah, we used to answer domestic violence calls all the time at his mother's. His stepfather would beat the crap out of him"

Jay looks over at the officer and asks, "What are you wearing?"

"I'm supposed to be a tourist"

"It's working" Sumner states.

"I brought her up. I figured we could use all the help we could get" Ruzek states.

"Alright, TMac Pierce. It's a place to start" Hank says.

"What about Calaca?" Maxine asks.

"You tell me"

"Erin and I have word out to all our CI's. So far, we got nothing"

"Priests probably have him in hiding" mickey says.

"Well, maybe TMac knows where. He had no problem finding four of his pals and putting lead in their head" Hank says, "Ruzek. My office"

~~~

Mickey walks into the break room where Maxine was grabbing a water bottle and says, "can i ask you something"

"It's a free country"

"I wanna take you out to dinner and a movie when this case is over" he says, leaning against the counter top.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Make new memories"

"Can't. I have other plans"

"With who, Halstead?"

Maxine scoffs and says, "it's none of your business"

"Why do you hate me so much?"

Maxine raises an eyebrow, "you think I hate you? I don't hate you, Mick. I'm disappointed in you" then she walks away.

🪩🪩🪩

Maxine pulls the car over to the curb and Jay looks at her and says, "This will only take a minute" then he gets out.

Jay walks up the front steps and knocks on the door to an older man who seemed already frustrated.

"Did you go and scope out your next victim already?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Lonnie Rodiger says. Jay looks at the father and says, "Maybe you can alibi him out after this one, too"

Phil pushes back on Jay's chest and says, "Get off my property"

"Yeah? Call the cops"

"What, you here to rough him up?"

"He bought duct tape and rope up the street last night. You remember how they found Ben Corson?"

"What, are you monitoring him?"

"Your son is a pedophile and a killer!"

"Leave!" Phil says, pushing Jay back again.

Jay walks back to the car and gets in and Maxine asks, "What the hell was that?"

"Just drive"

"Jay.."

"Drive"

Maxine sighs, putting the car in drive and drives off.

🪩🪩🪩

After getting word that TMac was at his mothers. Maxine and Jay meet up with Hank and Antonio with their guns drawn.

Antonio kicks in the door and everyone goes to clear out the house. Maxine keeps a watch on the stairs, while the rest check out the downstairs where they find TMac's mom and a child.

"Where's TaMarcus?" Hank questions.

"How many times do I have to tell you people TaMarcus does not live here" the woman yells.

"Where's TaMarcus"

"Hold on. Hold on" Antonio says, then looks at the little girl, "We're not gonna hurt your brother. Can you tell me, sweetie, where he is? It's okay" and the little girl nods her head, "Come on. Where is he? Where's your brother?"

The little girl points upstairs and hesitantly says, "Upstairs"

While Hank and Antonio go upstairs to find TMac, who starts shooting at them through a door, they quickly shoot back racing towards the door to see that he escaped through the window.

"Runner! Outside. TMac!" Hank says over the walkie.

"What the...I got him! You stay with them" Maxine tells her partner, then runs down the front steps of the house to chase after TMac.

Maxine continues to chase after TMac who runs under the train tracks and she tackles him to the muddy ground and cuffs him.

🪩🪩🪩

"We may have gotten a hit on Calaca from the hotline" Maxine says, as she, Antonio, Jay and Hank walk back onto the bullpen, "somebody who matches his description was just seen leaving a barbershop on South Racine"

"It's owned by an uncle of one of the Latin Priests" Antonio says.

"Alright, you two get on it" Hank says, as Maxine and Antonio grab their coats.

"I completed those breakdowns, Sergeant" Sumner states, holding up a folder.

"I need more detail. Halstead, my office"

Maxine looks up at her partner, who sighs and walks in Voight's office.

🪩🪩🪩

Maxine and Antonio walk into a barbershop where someone who matches Calaca's description was last seen and Antonio says, "Oye viejo, you the owner of this shop?"

The older man smiles, giving Antonio a handshake and says, "Yea. For 30 years. Please call me Papo"

"We're looking for a guy named Calaca" Maxine says. Papo shakes his head and says, "Never heard of him"

"He was last seen at this location" Antonio states. Papo scoffs and says, "Not that I saw"

"Well, we know that your nephew hangs out with the Latin Priests" Maxine states.

"Oh, I haven't seen my nephew, oh...very long time"

"Hmm" she hums, as Antonio opens what looks to be a closet door to a back room, "Been busy?"

"Oh yeah, you know. Always busy. Yeah. The guys like to look good for the chicas"

Maxine goes to check out the shop, when she stops on a container and when she goes to take the top off, she immediately puts it back on, getting the strongest whiff of PCP, "Antonio"

"Oh" Antonio says, stepping back, "That sure ain't aqua net"

"Liquid PCP"

"You always keep bottles of wet hanging around your store?"

"I have a license for those chemicals" Papo states.

"For what?" Max questions.

"For the...the hair straightening products. I can show you the paperwork if you want"

Antonio knocks on a closed door and asks, "What's in here?"

"I-I don't know"

"Open it" Maxine orders.

"I don't have a key"

"Thirty years, you don't have a key" Antonio says, making the older man sigh, then they take out their guns.

"No, no, no. Wait, please. I can explain"

Antonio hits the door open with his shoulder and the two detectives walk in to clear out the small room.

"My nephew and his gang have taken over my establishment. They take my disability checks. They force me to get the chemical license for the hair straightening products"

"Where are they now?" Antonio asks.

"They don't tell me anything"

Maxine steps on the carpet and hears a creaking sound. Antonio lifts up the carpet to find a door and he quickly opens it to find what seems to be some sort of torture room.

Both Bishop and Dawson go down to check out the small space and Maxine says, "Someone sure took a beating down here"

"Yeah. How much do you wanna bet it was Calaca?"

Maxine puts on her latex gloves and picks something off the ground and says, "And this must be Calaca's finger"

🪩🪩🪩

Maxine and Antonio walk into Voight's office, closing the door behind them and the brunette says, "The latin priests are using the old man's barbershop as a front to sell PCP"

"Points for originality" Hank says, "What makes us think Calaca is still alive?"

"He is still one of them. If they wanted him dead, they'd have dumped his body for the world to see" Antonio states.

"But they still had to punish him for starting a gang war" Maxine says.

"That's why they beat him and clipped his pinky finger off in that dungeon. After that, my best is they moved him to a safe house when the heat got hot"

"They knew we were coming" Hank says, as his phone starts ringing, "Alright that's all" making the two detectives leave.

Maxine walks into the break room where she sees her partner getting a cup of coffee and says, "Jay.."

"Yeah"

"I'm your partner. Talk to me" she says, folding her arms over each other.

"You don't wanna know" Jay says, before walking away. Maxine grabs ahold of his hand and says, "please. you know you can trust me."

Jay looks down at how her hand was gripped tightly around his, "this can't happen, Max"

"No, I wasn't—"

"I'm sorry" he says before walking away.

🪩🪩🪩

After getting a tip from a woman who Ruzek and Burgess were working. They slowly, with their guns drawn, race towards an abandoned factory building where they find thousands of cellphones being prepped by the Latin Priests to sell.

Maxine hears movement from a room and she quietly walks over and opens the door then calls out, "Voight"

Hank walks over to his detective to see someone sitting on the ground, beaten up. Maxine looks over at her sergeant and says, "Calaca"

🪩🪩🪩

After Lexi identifies Calaca as the one who killed Russell in a line up. Mickey opens his apartment door, to his surprise, finds Maxine on the other side.

"Hey" he says.

"Hi" Max says, looking down at her thumbs, "we should talk"