⋆° დ ༄ UNTIL THERE WAS US
chapter eighteen. justice for grace miller

Erin walks onto the unit and walks over to Antonio who is sitting at his desk and asks, "Hey, you know what case we're working? It's sunday"

Dawson shrugs and says, "No idea"

Sam, Hank, Adam and Jay walk out of Voight's office. Jay and Adam go over to lean on his and Sam's desks as said brunette and Hank stand by the whiteboard.

"What's going on?" Lindsay questions.

"We'll explain" Sam says, "Is everyone here?"

Everyone looks around to see everyone is indeed in the bullpen.

"Alright, this new case we're working on is our only priority and it stays in house" Hank says.

"What case?" Kevin asks.

"It's a cold case really" Sam says, flipping the whiteboard over to the other side, which already has pictures and information on it, "Grace Miller"

"Sammy...your mom?" Lindsay says, in shock, which Sam nods in response.

"Mouse is passing out the case file from back in 2002 when it happened" Sam says, as Mouse passes out the files to everyone, then she points to her mom's picture on the board, "Grace Miller was a patrol officer for six years. She then took the detectives exam and passed and her father, the commissioner, got her into narcotics, like she wanted, which she was a detective for 10 years. And she didn't deserve to die the way she did"

Jay notices Sam tear up, and he walks over to her and pulls her into his side.

"How did she die?" Antonio asks, getting up from his desk and sitting on the corner of it. Hank sighs and says, "She was shot in the head. Look, I spoke with Nathan Lancaster, Grace's old partner and he said he would testify and help us with putting away the killers anyway he could, now that he knows he actually has help. He gave us the body cam footage, which is how they were able to put her killer Vinny Cotez away at Statesville, who was stabbed by his cellmate two days ago and died last night"

"What do we know about Cortez?" Adam asks. Sam clears her throat and says, "He was paid 10,000 dollars by my father, Aiden Hudson, to kill her"

"Wait, what? You father had a part in your mom's death?" Erin asks. Sam nods her head and says, "Not only him but come to find out he was paid 50,000 dollars by my grandmother, my mom's mom to get a gang member to do it, so it wouldn't be able to be traced back to them"

"Sammy, oh my god. I'm so sorry" Erin says.

"Now, we only know any of this because Lancaster found out from Cortez" Hank says.

"Wait, Lancaster? As in Emma Lancaster?" Erin asks and Sam nods her head.

"Who's Emma?" Adam asks.

"She was a close friend of ours in high school" Erin states, "on the day of graduation, she had gotten into a car accident, and died on impact"

"So, I'm confused. If we know who really killed your mom, Sam. Why don't we pick them up?" Kevin asks.

"My grandmother died two years ago. I guess she wanted to take this to her grave. But my father, we only have him on the body cam footage that he was only making a drug trade, nothing else"

"I checked his financials, like you wanted. I got nothing, but I checked to see if maybe he has an offshore bank account, which he doesn't but there is one in his son's name" Mouse states.

"He's using his son for a cover?" Adam scoffs, "How pathetic"

"When I checked the bank records, he has a little less than half a mil in that account"

"Wait, how is that possible? I thought Lancaster said Hudson only got paid 50,000?" Al asks.

"He did. Maybe Hudson kept threatening to tell if she didn't keep paying him?" Sam says.

The phone rings at Jay's desk and he goes over to answer it, "Halstead..okay, thanks, send him up" then he hangs up the phone, "That was Platt. Says, Sawyer Hudson is on his way up"

"That's Aiden's son. My half brother" Sam says, flipping the board around so Sawyer doesn't see. Sawyer Hudson walks into the bullpen with a box in hand and says, "I'm here for detective Miller"

~~~

Sam and Hank are in interrogation with Sawyer across from them with the box he held on, now set on top of the metal table.

"So, what's inside the box?" Sam questions. Sawyer sighs and says, "I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with your mom. I overheard dad talking about her on the phone to someone, while looking at this box"

"And how'd you get it?" Voight asks.

"I took it when he was out"

"And what if this is a set up?"

"It's not. I just wanna help my sister. If my father had any part in Grace Miller's death, I want to help put him away"

"Really?" Sam asks, not really buying it. Sawyer nods his head and says, "Yes"

Sam slowly moves the blue box towards her and opens it to reveal, a burner cell, a bunch of receipts and a 9mm parabellum pistol.

"Gun" Sam says, passing it to Voight. Voight looks behind him in the two way mirror and a few minutes later, Antonio walks in with an evidence bag and brings it to the crime lab and puts a rush order on it, "Did you know there was a gun in here, Sawyer?"

"No, I swear"

All of a sudden the burner phone starts ringing and Sam looks at the caller ID, which is some number she didn't recognize, of course. Sam looks at Voight, who nods and the brunette flips open the phone and presses talk, but waits for the other person to talk first.

"Hello? Yo Hudson, what the hell is going on, man?"

Sam immediately recognizes the voice, but doesn't say anything, knowing Voight won't let her leave the district.

🌙🌙🌙

Antonio and Adam are with crime tech, as they review over the gun that Sawyer had unknowingly brought in.

"Anything?" Adam asks.

"You gotta be patient. I can't control this thing" the tech says, as the charm on the computer goes off, "Alright, lets see. The finger prints on the 9mm belong to two different people, Aiden Hudson and Vinny Cortez"

"And that's exactly what we wanted to know" Antonio says, "Thanks"

🌙🌙🌙

"Now, that we know Hudson's prints are on the gun. I want Halstead and Atwater to bring him in" Voight orders.

"I think it'd be better if I go" Sam insists.

"No. You stay here. Go help Mouse with the burner phone"

Sam sighs, and walks away towards the basement, but really leaves through the sidedoor of the district and out to her car.

🌙🌙🌙

Jay and Kevin walk through the office building of Mason and Son where they pinged Hudson to be. As they walk into a meeting, they walk right over to Hudson and Jay forces him up on his feet, "Get up!"

"What is this about?"

"You know exactly what this is about"

"Tell me now what's going on!" Hudson demands.

"You wanna play it that way?" Kevin asks, "Alright, you're under arrest for the murder of a chicago police officer"

Hudson scoffs as Jay drags him away.

🌙🌙🌙

Adam forces Hudson down in the metal seat in their other interrogation room as Aiden asks, "I didn't kill a police officer"

"Maybe you didn't do the killing yourself" Kevin says, placing a picture of Grace Miller's body in front of him, "But you got paid 50,000 from Lilith Miller, then you go ahead and get a gang member to do your dirty work for you and you only paid him 10,000?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Sure you do, Hudson" Adam says, leaning against the cement wall, "We found a gun with your fingerprints all over it. The same gun that was used to kill Grace Miller, your ex wife"

"I didn't kill Grace. Vinny Cortez did"

"Because you paid him!" Kevin states.

"No, I didn't"

"We found the burner phone, the receipts. We have your son in the next room who brought all of that to us. Cause he wants to see you locked up for this" Adam states.

"What? Your lying. Sawyer wouldn't do that"

"Well you better believe it." Adam says and Hudson looks down at his hands, "Hudson, give us something you know. Cause Sawyer is looking at some pretty hard time, if he knows anything about this"

"He doesn't know anything"

"So, give us something" Kevin says. Hudson sighed and says, "Lilith Miller, I don't know how she came up in this but she had nothing to do with this"

Adam and Kevin look at each other then back at the two way mirror.

"Yes, her and Grace hated each other but Lilith couldn't have done this"

"What?" Erin says, as she and Voight stand on the other side of the glass, "What the hell is going on?"

"Lancaster lied" Voight states, "which means"

"He must've called the hit"

Dawson opens the door and says, "Mouse found something. You're gonna wanna hear this"

~~~

The team is back on the unit, listening to Mouse who says, "I've been doing some digging. This number that keeps calling the burner phone, the idiot didn't block it or anything and I was able to to ping the location of the caller"

"Well, who is it?" Voight asks.

"Nathan Lancaster."

"Wait, so Lancaster came back to town and found Sam who knew she was looking back into her mom's case and to point her in the wrong direction he pointed it at her grandmother?" Adam asks.

"Looks that way" Hank says, then looks around the room and asks Mouse, "Where's Sam?"

Mouse shrugs and says, "I don't know"

"She wasn't with you in the basement?"

"No"

"Where's Lancaster now?" Jay asks. Mouse searches on his tablet and says, "I don't have a precise location, but the surroundings look like a bunch of abandoned factory buildings"

Hank sighs and says, "I know where that is. Jay, me and you"

🌙🌙🌙

Jay and Hank drive down the dirty and snowy road of the Silos and see Sam's jeep parked. As the two get out, they quickly make their way towards Sam who has her gun pointed right in the middle of Lancaster's forehead, who is kneeled on the ground with cuffs on.

"Sam! Sam, stop! Don't do this" Jay says. Sam has tears streaming down her face, which is now stained with her mascara and says, "He killed her. He killed my mom!"

"We know, Sam. We know" Voight says, walking over to the brunette. Sam sniffles, still pointing the gun at Lancaster and yells, "How could you? She was your partner. She trusted you!"

"Because, she knew too much. I'm the one who gave Hudson the money, so he could get Cortez to shoot her and Pierson. She was getting to close, she was ruining my drug operation."

"Then why warn her?"

Lancaster scoffs and says, "Everything I told you was a lie, Sam. God, you're so stupid. How you made it to a detective is beyond me."

As Sam cocks the gun, Jay says, "Sam, baby. Listen to me, you don't wanna do this"

"Yes, I do! He got my mom killed. He's the reason why she's not here. Why she never got to meet her grandchildren. And you blamed my grandmother. He's the reason for all the hurt in my life"

"Pretty sure all that's on you, but.."

"Shut up!"

"Sam, if you need to do it, me and Jay will walk away" Hank says.

"What? No" Jay says.

"You can't leave me here with this psychopath" Lancaster says. 

"Oh, yes I can" Voight states.

"You deserve to die!" Sam says, gritting her teeth, tears still flowing, "But only in prison, where you can be with all the people you put away"

Sam uncocks the gun and puts the saftey on, giving it to Hank and walks away with Jay right behind her. Voight puts the gun in the back of his jeans and forces Lancaster up on his feet and says, "You just got lucky" before dragging him back to the car.

🌙🌙🌙

Sam stands at the whiteboard, taking down the pictures and stops and looks at the one of her mom when Voight walks over to her and says, "We got him. We finally got justice for your mom"

"Yeah, but she's still dead. It doesn't bring her back. I miss her so much, Hank" Sam says, as Hank brings her into a hug.

"I know. She was a good person and her memory will stay alive with you and Gracie"

Sam sniffles and says, "You're right. Which reminds me, I'm gonna go home and see her and never let her go" then she half smiles and goes over to her desk to grab her coat and leave the district.

a/n:

Whoa, another plot twist! Don't you just love those? lol
Sam finally got justice for her mom! 💗
not gonna lie, I started to tear up when Sam had the gun to Lancaster's head.
There's also 4 more chapters left for this book, already! 😯🤭 can you believe it??
which also means that the last chapter is gonna be the worst one to write! 😭