Mate Undercovers

Always Expect the Unexpected

Abby’s POV

“Shit.” I mutter to myself as I check my watch again.

9.45am

I can’t remember the last time I turned up at work so damn late. I’m normally first in the door, usually before the night shift has even finished.

“Hey Abby!” Sadie calls out to me as the elevator doors open up into the busy office.

The bright smile and innocent eyes immediately let me know that Cal clearly hasn’t spoken to her yet about her strange attempts to become my new best friend.

“Oh hey, Sadie. Sorry, I’m super late and I’ve got-“

“A meeting with Captain Moss. Yeah, Cal was saying. I won’t keep you long, I was just wondering how the new laptop was working out?”

I slow down just enough to give her a response.

“It’s actually really great. Thanks again.”

She looks positively ecstatic to receive my stamp of approval.

“Oh good! I’m glad.”

“Sorry Sadie, I really have to-“

“Don’t apologise. I understand! Go get ‘em Abs!”

I smile at her awkwardly before carrying on straight ahead.

Abs? God, she’s calling me Abs now? Maybe Calvin and Jane are right and I should put a stop to this. It’s just too damn weird.

I open the door into the break room and I’m met with a chorus of ruckus applause and laughter.

“Yeah, yeah… I’m running late. Alert the f*****g media.” I grin, walking over to dump my bag and jacket on a chair.

“Hey, hey, hey! All of you leave her alone! Have any of you assholes pulled an all-nighter recently? She needed the beauty sleep!” Jane protests in my defence.

I give her a nod and squeeze her shoulder as I walk over to pour myself a fresh cup of coffee.

“Oh I doubt she was catching up on sleep last night… isn’t that right, Sully?” a guy named Kevin interjects in amusement.

“Uhh first of all. Don’t be gross. Second of all it’s none of your business and third of all… f**k you, Kev.” I reply, gaining an enthusiastic cheer from some of the others.

“Touché, Sully.” Kevin laughs in reply.

“Wait, what is he talking about?” Jane says, sitting up straighter in her chair.

“He may be referring to Sully hooking up with a guy at the bar last night…” Hana answers with a shrug before I throw her a warning look. “What, girl? That man was fricken hot! I’m telling you, I’d shout it from the rooftops if it were me!”

“Hana… you’re married.” Kevin adds, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Damn technicality…” she answers with a pretend pout.

“You picked up a hot guy last night and you didn’t tell me?!” Jane interrupts, looking at me with a mixture of betrayal and shock written across her face.

I shrug my shoulders as I lean against the counter to lift my coffee to my lips.

“Guys! I didn’t pick a guy up okay. I had a conversation with a member of the opposite s*x… don’t you guys have anything better to talk about?”

“No we don’t!” Jane states, rolling up her newspaper to point it at me accusingly. “What about my cousin Landon!?”

“Jane… it’s not like I’m married to the guy. We went on a date for like five minutes. Don’t worry, Landon and I plan to meet up again soon. I’ll call him.” I state casually, in an attempt to shut her up.

“Ahhh well… so long… hot guy from the bar…” Hana says dreamily, leaning her elbow on the table and staring off into space.

“He couldn’t have been that hot surely? Hotter than Landon!?” Jane questions me intently.

I offer her a smile and a wink in reply which seems to just rile her up again. I can’t help it. She’s just too damn easy.

“Okay, are we done talking about high school bullshit? We have a meeting to get to.” Calvin states matter of factly, walking into the room to look around the group sternly.

As soon as he turns to leave, I roll my eyes in Jane’s direction.

“Remind me again why Captain Moss thought it would be a good idea to stick that asshole in charge of this task force? I swear it’s like he’s been handed the key to f*****g New York City.” she mutters under her breath as we make our way out of the break room.

I scoff quietly in response. “You can say that again.”

We stop outside the Captain’s office and Calvin proceeds to knock on the door diligently.

“Come in!” Captain Moss calls out from inside.

We filter into the room and I hold my coffee in my hand whilst I study the board that Calvin has now wheeled into the room. Looks like the asshole got up early this morning to put it together for the meeting. I notice several of the notes and leads that are pinned to the board are items that I bought him over the course of this week. Not that he will dish out any credit, of course.

The chatter in the room continues as Captain Moss stands up to walk around the front of his desk.

“How is your father, Abby?” he asks curiously, perching on the edge of the oak table.

“He’s fine Captain. He’s doing well.” I answer with a small smile.

“Glad to hear it. I’ll give him a call soon. I’ve been busy.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand, Captain.”

“Oh yes of course he will, this desk was once his after all.” he laughs in reply patting the stained wood gently.

I’ve always liked Captain Moss. He never treated me differently even though he worked with my father for many years and he’s always been pretty fair and consistent in terms of his management of the precinct.

“Okay then, let’s hear what’s going on. Where are we?” he asks, putting on his glasses to examine Calvin’s handy work.

“Captain, we believe we are closing in on Yuri now. We have the evidence we need to put him away.” Cal begins, pointing out various points on the board. “Our witnesses are in witness protection for their safety and as soon as we apprehend him, we will proceed with charges. We have three of his men in custody and we are leaning on them heavily for intel-.”

“That’s all very well, but where is Yuri now? You lost him last night so how are you going to track him down again?”

I clear my throat and take a step towards the board pointing out some of the locations pictured.

“We now know that Yuri has been sighted at these locations recently. If he’s still in New York, he might go back. I say we stake out each of these addresses-“

“That’s a waste of time, Abs. Yuri’s not going back to any of these locations, their burned for him now-“

“You don’t know that Calvin. It’s worth a shot and-“

“It’s too much man power.” he interrupts. “We would be better going over the CCTV footage from last night and the streets surrounding club Kaluna-“

“Then it’s a good thing I already had Jane begin pulling the footage together this morning then.” I snap back.

There is silence for a few short seconds as everyone watches our exchange with interest.

“Okay good. Start with the CCTV from last night and see if you can track his movements after he left the club. Both of you can go through the footage together. That won’t be a problem… will it?” Captain Moss asks sternly, peering at us over the top of his glasses.

“No, Captain.” Calvin replies instantly, standing to attention.

Captain Moss turns his attention to me.

“It’s not a problem, Captain.” I nod dutifully.

“Good… now if it doesn’t turn up anything, we go with Abby’s idea and we stake out Yuri’s previous haunts-“

“But Captain-“

“That’s it Calvin. Now let’s get to work.”

***

“You got any visuals of them after they pass the library?” Calvin asks, reaching for a slice of pizza.

“Nothing.” I answer, leaning back in the chair and stretching my neck from side to side.

We’ve been locked in this room for hours, scouring any and all footage from last night that we have been able to get our hands on, but so far we aren’t having much luck tracking where Yuri and Anton went after the club. There has been the odd occasion where I thought I saw them pass by in the grainy camera footage of the various stores and businesses located around club Kaluna, but I swear it could have just been a smudge on the camera. Either these guys move like lightning or they can f*****g fly, I swear.

“Might be time to call it a night, Abs.” Cal yawns, standing up to pick up his jacket from the back of his chair.

“Yeah. I’m going to hang around a bit longer. I’ll let you know if I find anything.” I reply, pressing play once again on the footage infront of me.

He nods his head, slipping his coat on before he heads to the door.

“Abs… just before I go. I just wanted to say I was worried about you last night… talking to strange guys at bars… it’s not really like you and-“

“Goodnight, Cal.” I interrupt, refusing to tear my focus away from the screen.

I hear him let out a huff before he disappears out of the room to leave me in peace.

Some days Calvin and I barely have any contact at all in work and some days, like today for instance, we have too much. Days like today, make it so hard to continue to be here. I look over the screen towards Captain Moss’ office and sigh.

This place meant a lot to my dad. He worked here for as long as I can remember, even bringing me in here with him when I was a little girl. God, how mom would give him hell for it afterwards.

“The precinct is no place for a young girl, Howard!” she would yell whenever she found out.

I smile at the memory. It’s so vivid and clear in my mind that it feels like it only happened yesterday.

You see, mom never did really understand why I enjoyed coming here so much. Sure a large part of it was the environment in general. I was fascinated with everything that went on here, but the main reason I liked coming here with Dad was that I got to see him in his element. He’s generally a quiet man. A man of few words some might say, but here… here, he was like a superhero. He was admired by everyone involved in the running of this place from the custodian to the commissioner. He was like superman… and then mom died and everything changed.

I press pause on the footage and shut down the computer, deciding I’ve had just about enough for the day.

***

“Hey Dad.” I smile, walking over to kiss him on the head where he sits.

“Hey, there’s some spaghetti on the stove for you.” he says, picking up his T.V remote as Betsy jumps down off of his lap to saunter over and greet me.

“Hello Bets…” I say, bending down to scratch her behind the ears. “Thanks dad, but I’m not that hungry.”

I walk over to the kitchen area and open the fridge to grab a can of soda instead.

“Another peach pie?” I ask, closing the door and walking back over to sit on the sofa.

“It’s from Mrs Foggarty downstairs. She had some peaches spare again I guess.” he says absentmindedly as he flicks through the channels.

“Hey, I meant to ask, what happened with your dominoes last night. Why did you come home early?”

“Oh Leroy wasn’t feeling well. We cancelled the game.” he answers, finally settling on the news station. “I didn’t mean to disturb you and your gentleman caller…”

I choke on a mouthful of soda and almost shoot the stuff out of my f*****g nostrils.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh come on Abby. I was a police officer for forty two years. You think I don’t notice these things?” he asks, raising his eyebrow. “Anyway, what have I told you? This is your apartment. I don’t want you holding your life back on my account. Maybe it’s time I try to go back home-“

“Dad. We talked about this. It’s maybe not the right time just yet. Just give yourself a little longer. You are in no way, shape or form holding my life back. I promise.” I smile at him, patting his hand gently.

He nods at me unconvinced, but doesn’t say anything else before he looks back towards the T.V.

“Now I’m going to crawl into a shower and then into bed. Let me know if you need anything.” I say, standing up to make my way to my bedroom.

“Night, honey.” Dad replies before the door closes behind me.

***

Ring

Ring

Ring

What the f**k?

I open up my eyes carefully in the darkness and reach for the foghorn that is my cellphone.

Jane? What the f**k does she want at 5am?

*

*

*

“Hello?”

“Abs, you awake?”

“I am now. What’s up?”

“Okay, so a friend of mine is on nightshift tonight and says they just brought in a perp that’s connected to the case.”

“Did you call Calvin?”

“f**k no! I called you first. So let’s get our asses down there to check out this lead before Cal swoops in to try take over.”

“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Gotcha. See you soon!”

*

*

*

I hang up the phone and hop out of bed, grabbing a pair of casual jeans and a plain black jumper from my dresser. I half consider giving Calvin a call, but the thought doesn’t linger for any more than a passing second. The truth is I’ve had just about enough of him this week and I can’t be assed with the hassle.

I throw on some boots and grab my coat, carefully making my way out into the dark living room and over to the door. I open and close it with ninja precision in order not to disturb Betsy. For a small dog, she sure can f*****g bark.

It’s not long before I make it to the station and I greet Jane who comes rushing towards me as I step out of the elevator.

“You are not going to believe this… it’s a f*****g weird one tonight, Abs.”

“What happened?”

“A male was brought in in the early hours of the morning. He was apprehended in Central Park by two beat cops who caught him standing over a dead body in a wooded area. The dead guy is a known associate of Yuri Pavel. It’s one of his guys.”

“And the perp? What do we know about him?” I ask as we begin walking towards interrogation.

“Nothing yet. He’s hardly said two words together but get this Abby… not only was he found standing over the dead body, but he was completed naked into the bargain and covered in the victims blood.”

I stop dead in my tracks and look at her in disbelief.

“Naked?” I ask for clarification.

“Yeah. Crazy huh? We see some weird s**t in this job, I’m telling you.”

Just then, detective Wells from nightshift walks towards me and hands me a file.

“Hey Sully. I thought you’d want to have a crack at this guy since the victim has connections to Yuri Pavel.” she states as I open up the folder.

Inside is a gruesome collection of pictures of the victim who I recognise straight away as being one of Yuri’s men.

“Yeah this is Nico. He’s a real piece of s**t. Looks like he got his comeuppance.” I state quietly examining the photograph.

“f**k, it looks like he’s been attacked by a wild animal of some sort.” Jane observes, shaking her head.

“I know… crazy s**t, right? Anyway, the guy is in there. He doesn’t look like your usual psychotic murderer, but hey, I guess they come in all shapes and sizes.” Wells explains.

“What do you mean?” Jane asks curiously as I open the door into the observation room.

“You’ll see…” Wells answers as we step inside and look through the two way mirror.

My heart almost stops beating in my chest when I take in the sight. I take a step forward and open my eyes wider in disbelief as I study the man’s familiar, handsome features.

It’s f*****g Ben… the guy I took home from the f*****g bar only a couple of nights ago.

“Damn, you weren’t kidding, Wells… Geez.” Jane states in equal disbelief.

There he sits, wearing a pair of loose navy NYPD sweatpants and a zip up sweater adorned with the crest. His bloodstained hands are handcuffed to the table, his face and upper chest splatted with droplets of sprayed blood.

“And you are saying he was completed naked?” Jane asks Wells again.

“Yep… as the day he was born!” she replies, folding her arms. “He hasn’t said anything since we brought him in. Maybe you can get him to talk, Sully-“

“I can’t.” I interrupt her abruptly, swallowing down the bile that is rising in my throat. “I know him.”

I glance over my shoulder to see Jane and Wells looks at each other worriedly.

“You know him? How?” Jane asks with furrowed brows.

“Uhh… it’s the guy from the bar… from a couple of nights ago.” I answer attempting to gather my scattered thoughts quickly.

“What the hell is going on here?” Calvin’s voice rings out as he enters the room, leaving the door wide open behind him. “Abby, why didn’t you call me to tell me someone had been brought in. I had to hear it from-“

He instantly stops in his tracks as he looks over my shoulder at Ben. I can already tell by the look on his face that he recognises him.

“What the f**k?” he says, taking a step forward towards the glass before turning to look at me. “I’m going in there.” he states, putting his hand out to take the evidence file from me.

“No you’re not, Calvin.” Captain Moss states as he walks into the room. “Abby is going in.”

“But Captain! She knows him. It would be inappropriate and-“

“I heard what she said, but I attempted to question that man myself and got nothing. She might get him to talk. Can you do this, Sullivan?” he asks me expectantly.

I take a deep breath and look back over my shoulder at the man I met only a day or so ago.

Something in my gut told me that night that he was dangerous… but I thought that meant in a ‘I’ll sleep with you and never call you again’ kind of way, not a ‘I just murdered a known mobster in the middle of Central Park’ kind of way.

I run my hand through my hair and take the file back from Calvin’s reluctant hands.

“Yes. I’ll do it.” I state with all the confidence I can muster.

I make my way toward the door and suck in a few short bursts of air as I psych myself up.

This man murdered someone and I intend to find out the reason why… he’s a monster and he has to face the f*****g consequences!

So with that thought in my head and fire in my veins, I open the door assuredly and close it behind me.

Instantly, his head snaps up and his eyes connect with mine.

I maintain eye contact as I walk across the room, pulling a chair out to sit across the table from him.

Neither of us say a word.

The silence in the room is deafening.

I ignore the fast beating of my heart and the way the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I continue to stare him down.

Just then, his face contorts into that familiar, cheeky smirk and he leans back in his chair nonchalantly.

“Well… this is awkward… If you wanted to see me again, you could have just asked… Abby.”