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It was rare for the three of them to work together, but Turino, Walker, and Wallace were on a mission. Rachel Murphy’s death was just one in a string of murders that appeared to be linked together, and they needed to find her killer before another woman ended up dead. They were able to identify a suspect, but his whereabouts were unknown. Their first stop was the home of the suspect’s brother, Tyler. If the lead paid off, they might have their killer’s location.
“Police! Open up!” Wallace shouted through the front door.
Tyler wasn’t a killer, but he wasn’t excited to have the police interested in his activities either. Predictably, a foot chase soon followed. Frank, who was watching the back door, was nearly knocked down when the man dashed out.
“We’ve got a runner!” Frank shouted to Tim and Gina as he followed in pursuit. The frigid air hit Frank’s lungs like shattered glass, but he kept going. His knees were not cooperating, worn down from years of chases, but he persisted, partly because he did not want to be shown up by Tim! Normally, Frank would have let Tim take the lead, but things were different today. Frank needed to know he still had it in him. Nine years ago, when Frank was Tim’s age, he would have easily caught up to this guy. Now, he fought for every stride in an effort to prove himself and impress Gina. The distance between Frank and the suspect’s brother was slowly decreasing, but Tim and Gina were quickly catching up.
“Gotcha!” Frank exclaimed when he overtook Tyler. “Why are you running if you’ve got nothing to hide?” Frank had gotten his man, but it had taken nearly everything he had. He coughed and struggled to catch his breath while cuffing him. Frank knew he wasn’t getting any younger, and chases like the one today were only going to be more difficult tomorrow. He had been working out more lately, and was in good shape for his age, but Frank was hurting after that sprint. Tim and Gina, on the other hand, seemed like they could have kept running forever.
“Are you alright?” Gina asked, noticing how hard Frank was breathing.
“I’m fine, except for my asthma acting up in this weather,” he replied, a little embarrassed and looking for a convenient excuse.
Tim wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Frank run so hard in their two-year partnership. “I didn’t know you had asthma,” Tim commented. “I guess I’ll have to stop making fun of you.”
Frank didn’t have asthma. He was just getting older. He started to wonder if his best years were behind him. Was Gina at all impressed that he had run down Tyler? Doubtful. Apparently, all she saw now was a guy who couldn’t breathe.
After Frank recovered, the three detectives loaded their man into Tim’s car and escorted him to the precinct. They took turns wearing Tyler down in the interrogation room until they were exhausted themselves. But Gina wasn’t ready to give up yet and decided to try something different. She told him how she had turned in her drug abusing brother for his own good, but also to make sure he didn’t hurt anyone else. Gina moved her chair closer and explained what had happened with great emotion, like she was the one confessing, in an attempt to form a connection with him. It was a touching tale of an older sister wanting to do what was best for her younger brother. The story struck a chord with Tyler, and he slowly began to trust her. Gina listened patiently while they talked about his brother for nearly an hour, and finally Tyler gave up his location.
Frank was watching and listening to every word, impressed with her performance. He could tell Gina was gaining confidence. She kept getting better each time she went into the interrogation room. She knew how to connect with people and had a real talent for getting confessions. Maybe suspects found it easier to talk to a woman. Perhaps they found her less threatening. No one strategy, however, worked on everyone. Some required more forceful persuasion, or even intimidation, which she was also capable of. Either way, she got the job done, and her increasing confidence only made her more attractive to him. And yet, he admired how she remained humble and possessed a vulnerability that made her very approachable.
“Good work, Gina,” Frank complimented. “See, you’re a natural at this.”
“Thanks, but I learned a lot from watching you. I’m sure there’s a lot more you could teach me.”
Frank smiled. He liked that she made him feel he had something valuable to offer her – his experience. Training Tim had never brought him as much satisfaction since Tim believed he already knew everything.
Before long, the detectives arrived at the suspect’s location. Gina had volunteered to go in first and try to keep the killer calm. They did not want to lose him after working so hard to track him down. Their suspect had a history of mental illness, so they would attempt to gently bring the troubled young man to justice. Tim would guard the back exit, while Frank would guard the front once Gina was inside.
“Hello, miss. How can I help you?”
“I’m Detective Gina Walker with the Chicago Police Department, and I was hoping I could ask you a few quick questions,” she said politely. Her pulse began to race at the thought of being alone inside a killer’s home.
“Certainly. Come in.”
Gina noted the young man was around her age. He appeared to be a nice guy, which may have helped him charm his victims into trusting him. While he led her to the kitchen table, she scanned the rooms around her, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Everything appeared to be in order, just as she had suspected it would. If this guy was inviting her in, it was doubtful there was anything incriminating out in plain sight.
The conversation was friendly at first but quickly became uncomfortable. The young man started to get more and more unstable. Gina kept one hand on her gun, ready for anything. Without warning, he got up and bolted up the stairs. She followed him with her gun drawn, calling to Frank and Tim for backup. Tim stayed stationed outside, ready for action, while Frank joined Gina inside the house.
“He’s out on the roof!” Frank whispered to Gina upon discovering the bedroom window that was still open just a crack.
“Frank, what are you doing?” she asked as she watched him climb out the second story window onto the roof, which was covered by a thin layer of snow. “Only a fool would go out on that old roof in the winter,” she warned.
“Relax, I’ve got this. I’m going after him. Just cover me.” Frank was eager to redeem himself after his earlier shortcoming. He needed to catch this guy without anything going wrong, so he tried to carefully earn his trust to get them both down safely. The suspect remained suspicious and continued to inch closer to the edge. When he took a misstep and started to slide, Frank dove after him, only to start sliding down himself. While the suspect broke his own fall by reaching out for an overhanging tree limb, Frank was unable to catch himself. The best he could do was to roll with the fall when he landed on the snow-covered grass.
“Frank!” Tim shouted, running toward him.
Gina looked on, horrified, before racing down the stairs to see if the two were alright.
Despite his effort to lessen the impact, Frank was suffering after his fall. The shoulder that took the brunt of it was now killing him, and he moaned softly while he tried to deal with the pain.
“Frank, are you OK?” Gina asked, rather alarmed.
“I’m fine,” he lied. “Don’t let him get away!”
The suspect was still clinging to the tree. Since he had nowhere left to run, Gina was able to coax him down and cuff him.
“The paramedics are on the way,” Tim announced. “You should definitely get that arm x-rayed.”
Tim escorted Frank to the emergency room while Gina drove the suspect to the precinct. She hated leaving Frank without knowing he was alright, but she had no choice. When she was able to get away, she drove to the hospital.
“No broken bones,” Frank reassured Gina when she arrived and noticed his arm in a sling. “I’m fine except for landing on my bad shoulder. It’s where I got shot a few years ago. It never did feel quite the same after that.”
“So, how did you get yourself shot?” Tim asked, growing curious.
“Against my better judgment, I gave a guy one too many chances to turn himself in. Now I’m paying for that mistake, twice.”
“Occupational hazard, I guess. Well, I hate to break up the party, but I’ve got to go,” Tim said before heading out.
“Do you need a ride home?” Gina asked Frank.
“That’s very nice of you. Thanks.”
Gina helped Frank get back into his coat and wrap a scarf around his neck. As she leaned in close, Frank recognized the familiar sweet scent of her hand lotion as well as the worry and concern in her eyes.
“That must have been terrifying,” she said finally, “to slip off a roof.”
“I didn’t really have time to get too terrified. It all happened so fast. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t die, but I knew I would hit the ground pretty hard.”
“Did the doctor say when you’ll be back to normal?” she asked.
“Actually, sooner than you might think.”
“Well, the charity ball is coming up. It would be a shame to miss that.”
“I’ve still got two weeks, right? I should be in dancing form by then.”
By the time Gina got him to his door, Frank was feeling drowsy from a heavy dose of painkillers. She helped him get his coat and scarf back off and ushered him to bed. “Brings back old memories, doesn’t it?” she commented, referring to his bout with the flu. She took a seat on the edge of the bed. “I really can’t stay. Carlos is waiting for me, and besides, you look like you’re going to be out for a while anyway.”
Frank tried to hold his heavy eyelids open, but it was no use. He drifted off before he could respond and awakened to the sun shining through his bedroom window. Gina was gone. Stupid medication! Now that the pills were wearing off, the pain was setting in once more. It was turning out to be a rough weekend.
When Frank returned to work on Monday, Gina was there to assist him. She helped him with his coat and scarf. She did all the driving. She even massaged his shoulder whenever he looked like he might be in pain.
“Man, I envy you!” Tim told Frank.
“You envy how much pain I’m in?”
“I’d jump off a roof right now if I thought she’d be doing for me what she’s doing for you.”
“She is something, isn’t she? Best partner I ever had. Sorry, Wallace.”
A couple days before the charity ball, Frank did start to come around. He could almost make it through the day without pain medication, but Gina still insisted on helping him, believing he was just trying to act tough.
“You don’t really still need her help, do you?” Tim asked with a sly grin.
“Not really, but it seems to make her happy that she’s helping. Should I tell her?”
“No, man. Just enjoy it. I know I would.”
This went on right up until the day before the charity ball. Frank knew he couldn’t let it continue any longer, so he told her again that he was fine, and she finally believed him.
“So, I guess I’ll see you at the ball tomorrow?” Gina asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Frank replied.
