────── LONELY HEART

chapter seven

vii. Guardian Angels

MARLOWE LAID SPRAWLED OUT BENEATH HER BLANKETS, snores leaving her parted lips as she hugged one of her pillows tightly to her chest. Her bedroom was only faintly illuminated by moonlight and yellow glow of the streetlight outside, entering through the large window above the headboard, seeping through the crack in the curtains and making odd patterns in the shadows throughout the room.

It had been a long day of running around Chicago for Marlowe, having not only ran errands, but chased down a notorious drug dealer that had quite the number of outstanding warrants. She had tackled the man that was twice her size in height and broadness with all the force she could muster, well aware that she would feel the repercussions of her actions the next day after she hit the ground and wrestled to cuff the man.

Needless to say, after a quick glass of whiskey and her usual nighttime routine, Marlowe was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She was peacefully asleep, occasionally stirring at the sound of revving engines passing by, but other than that she remained content. Dreaming of warm temperatures, the sun tanning her skin while water lapped at her feet, Marlowe's well-deserved rest took her to places she longed to be.

The soft opening of "Renegade" by Styx began to play through the room, Marlowe's phone screen lighting up from its spot on the nightstand on the left side of the bed. She only stirred slightly, hearing the buzzing vibration of the device. Jay's name and smiling face flashed across the screen, the ringtone only getting louder as it continued to ring.

Marlowe groaned in annoyance, pushing her pillow away from her as she blindly rolled over to reach out for her cell phone. Her eyes remained closed when she finally found it, swiping her thumb across the screen, and pressing it to her ear.

"This had better be good," She stated, eyes still closed.

"M," The panic in Jay's voice was enough to make Marlowe sit up in bed, eyes now wide open, "I need your help."

Her head snapped in the direction of the digital clock on the opposite bedside table, squinting to see the red numbers with her unadjusted eyes.

"Jay, it's three-thirty in the morning," Marlowe pushed her comforter off of her body, swinging her legs over the end of the bed, "What happened?"

"There's... I messed up," He cursed himself, other voices could be heard in the background, "Please... You're the closest to me right now."

"Text me the address," Marlowe flicked on the overhead light, already moving towards her closet as she spoke, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Jay sighed in relief, "Thank you..."

Usually, Marlowe would make some witty comment about him owing her a coffee or two, but the unusual plea for help was not sitting right in her stomach as she pulled out a quick outfit to change into. She tossed her sleep shorts onto her unmade bed, pulling on a black pair of capri joggers and tucked her already worn black t-shirt into the front of the waist band. Marlowe stumbled across the room as she hobbled to put socks on and picked a random pair of white sneakers off of the various shelves of shoes lining her room.

Scooping her purse and keys up off the vanity, Marlowe grabbed a long brown overcoat as she rushed out the door.

Like she had asked him to do, Jay had texted her the address, which further made her question what he had been doing so early in the morning in the back alleys of Chicago. Marlowe tossed her belongings in the passenger seat of her car, almost forgetting to buckle her seatbelt as she peeled away from the curb in front of the townhouse.

Police were already swarming the sight when she pulled over on the side of the road. Red and blue lights lit up the scene, Marlowe scrambling for her badge and other belongings inside of her purse. She pulled the attached chain on over her head as she exited the car, making sure that it was noticeable as she approached the officers taping off the area.

"I'm sorry ma'am but you can't-"

Marlowe pointed at the badge hanging around her neck, already stepping around the officer, "Romero. Intelligence."

The man did not say anything further, going back to doing his assigned job as Marlowe scanned the scene for Jay. She found him and another man talking to someone from the homicide unit underneath the underpass, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket as he rocked on his heels nervously.

"Jay!" Marlowe called out as she strode across the lot quickly.

His head snapped in her direction, looking slightly relieved as she came into sight, "Hey, M..."

"Don't 'hey' me," Marlowe directed her attention to the sight of a body covered with a yellow tarp laying in the middle of the street, "What the hell happened?"

He ran a hand over his face, "I- I don't know, I was scoping out a lead and heard that guy swerve and crash to avoid hitting this girl. She was shot but... I didn't hear any shots."

"A lead this early in the morning?" Marlowe did not believe the simplicity of his story whatsoever, but her face scrunched up as she took a closer step to him, "Oh my God, Jay, have you been drinking? On the job? You reek of alcohol."

"I had to fit in," He pleaded.

Sighing she just decided to nod, resting a hand on his arm as she stared at the detectives surrounding the body, "Please tell me you've already called Voight."

Jay nodded, "He said he'll be here as soon as he can."

"You're lucky I was only ten minutes and some disregarded red lights away..." Marlowe pursed her lips, "Tell me everything."

"Marlowe-"

"Everything, Jay, or so help me you'll be the next one laying under a sheet in the street."

He sighed, "Fine..."

But little of what he told her afterwards made any sense or felt like the truth, leaving Marlowe to only stare up at him in disbelief as she tried to piece the puzzle together herself. With each lie that fell from his lips, the less and less she trusted Jay and his credibility.

DAYBREAK HAD ARRIVED BY THE TIME VOIGHT STROLLED ONTO THE SCENE, Hailey in step with the sergeant and eyeing her partner skeptically. Marlowe had not left Jay's side throughout her time on the scene except when she went to examine the deceased woman's body for herself as Jay still seemed nervous. She kept replaying his story through her head, picturing him and his said CI, Camila Vega, at some party in the early hours of the morning.

Marlowe's hands were balled up in fists in the pockets of her jacket as she and Jay greeted Hank and Hailey.

"What's going on?" Voight asked, looking behind them at the body still covered on the cold cement.

"Female victim," Jay told him as nonchalontly as possible, "Two GSWs."

Voight interrupted him, "No, Jay. What's going on, meaning, what the hell are you doing here?"

"All right, so I was here, working a CI," Marlowe sighed softly as Jay began his puzzling story, glancing at Hailey through her lashes.

"What CI?" Voight asked.

He looked hesitant to answer, "Camila Vega, from the Veil Club."

Hailey looked confused, "The girl from the kidnapping case? Luis' sister?"

"News to me," Voight grumbled, glancing between the three others.

Marlowe shrugged, "News to all of us."

Jay gave her a quizzical look.

Voight looked between the two of them, "She on paper?"

Jay was hesitant to answer, "No."

"Was the victim at the party?"

"Yeah, I believe so."

"You believe so," Voight scoffed, staring Jay over once more, "You've been drinking. Anything else?"

Shaking his head, Jay answered, "Just drinking."

Voight looked at Marlowe, who just nodded in acknowledgement, "Okay, Marlowe take him back to the office, get straightened up. Jay don't talk to anyone. Write up your IPR."

"Got it..." Marlowe muttered, being the first to turn from Voight and Hailey, making weary eye contact with the blonde as she passed.

She drove straight to the precinct despite her strong want for her favorite café's coffee, her and Jay sitting in uncomfortable silence while the Sum 41 CD Marlowe had inserted made up for the lack of conversation. Jay sat anxiously in the passenger side, occasionally stealing glances at Marlowe's profile. He knew she believed something was wrong, that he was lying to her, but she did dare to say anything until they were parked in the back lot of the precinct.

"Don't forget the IPR," Marlowe grumbled as they entered the back door, leaving him behind in the middle of the basement while she went directly up the stairs in route for the locker room.

She sighed as she opened her locker, breifly glancing over the small photographs taped to the interior of the blue metal door. There was a photo from her high school graduation where she was surrounded by her siblings and parents, one of her and Hak in their patrol uniforms, and another of her, Jay, Kim, Adam, and Hailey at Molly's just after she had joined Intelligence. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she turned to sift through the bag of miscellaneous clothes hanging in a duffel bag in her locker.

Marlowe stripped out of the clothes she had hurriedly pulled from her wardrobe earlier that morning and changed into a pair of distressed jeans. Her eyes glanced back at the photographs still staring back at her as she pulled on a grey sweatshirt on over her head. Tossing an orange, yellow, and blue plaid blazer over the bench behind her, Marlowe quickly applied a coat of mascara to her lashes and a layer of gloss to her lips from the small makeup bag on the shelf above her.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she stepped out of the locker room, pulling her blazer on over her sweatshirt as she returned to the back staircase and headed upstairs. Marlowe passed Jay's unattended desk on her way to hers, doing her usual routine of tucking her belongings away.

"Hey," Jay greeted her as she entered the break room, sliding her a freshly brewed mug of coffee down the counter.

Marlowe hummed in response, wrapping her fingers around the handle of the mug to bring it to her lips, "Thanks..."

"Look, M," He sighed, leaning back against the counter next to them, "About this morning-"

"I can't help you if you're lying to me Jay," She interrupted him, taking another sip of her coffee.

Jay licked his lips as he forced himself to think of a quick defense, "I'm not-"

"You're not fooling me," Marlowe cut him off again, placing her mug back down against the counter and only turning her head to look at him, "If you're scared I'll tell Hailey or-"

His voice lowered, his eyes looking out into the bullpen, "I'm not..."

Voight poked his head into the break room, looking between the pair with raised eyebrows, "You write up that IPR?"

Jay nodded, pointing at the paper laying on the table across from him and Marlowe. Hank glanced towards Marlowe, who just shrugged, before picking up the report to look it over and humming.

"Okay," Voight just looked at Jay expectedly.

"I was working her as an unwitting," Jay caved in under the harsh gaze, "She works at Veil. A lot of drugs move through that place. She told me about the party. I saw an opportunity. But you're absolutely right. I should've put her on paper first. Uh, I screwed up."

Marlowe covered a scoff over with a fake cough and pretended to sip on her drink.

Hank did not seem to notice, still focused on Jay's expression, "Are you sleeping with this girl?"

"No," Jay shook his head.

It took Hank a moment to reply, "Okay... Document it. Start working the case. You're already working the girl."

Marlowe's brows raised at their sergeant's choice of words.

He continued, "May as well stay under. Figure out who killed this young woman, right?"

Jay nodded, "All right."

Hank and Marlowe both watched him leave the room without another word. She sank back against the counter, slouching on her elbows and cradling her mug in her hands. Her gaze followed Jay's figure as he grabbed his jacket from his desk.

It was obvious something was off. Maybe if someone did not know Jay well, Marlowe could understand, but it was the little ticks of his that she had picked up on. Jay was avoiding as much eye contact as he could, and he was hesitating just long enough after he was asked a question that he had a chance to make up a plausible story. Usually, he would be direct and genuine in his tone, however Jay was currently quite the opposite.

Both Marlowe and Voight knew better.

"Marlowe," Hank's raspy voice interrupted her thoughts.

She almost dropped her cup he had startled her so bad, turning her focus back to him "Huh? Sorry, Boss."

"Keep an eye on him," Voight's stare remained on Jay's retreating figure, watching him go down the main staircase.

Marlowe looked at him skeptically, nevertheless nodding in affirmation. She left the breakroom after sparing a tight smile Hank's direction and headed towards her own desk. A huff escaped her lips as she settled back into her chair, rolling forwards to properly face her computer screen. Punching in her password, Marlowe opened up the PODS footage for nearby streets and alleyways they had been sent for the time of the murder.

Chewing at her thumbnail, she pressed the play button and began sifting through hours of footage.

Leaning forwards into her hands, Marlowe wondered aloud, "Jay, what have you gotten yourself into?"

"I TALKED TO THE BOUNCER FROM CLUB ECHO," Adam approached the updated board at the front of the bullpen, pointing at the security photos he and Roger had received, "He says Maggie comes in all the time. He remembers because he's always yelling at her. 'Girl's a hundred pounds. Walks to the dank-ass club through the filthy-ass hood solo.' These are his words."

Marlowe sat at the end of Antonio's desk with her arms crossed over her chest while staring at the picture of the brunette girl taped to the board opposite of her. Large, doe-like eyes looked back at her, sending a chill down Marlowe's spine. She glanced back at Adam and Roger pointing to the rough timeline they had constructed, forcing herself to actively listen despite her newest spell of drowsiness.

"Uh, we couldn't get her leaving, but did get her arriving," Roger pointed to a photo of their victim, Maggie, talking to the bouncer outside Club Echo, "It's a little weird. This is her walking up to the club. Tracked her backwards from there, to where she got out of the cab."

Adam jumped back into the conversation, "Now the cabby says she got on the Wilson red line."

"There's an 'L' stop a block away from Echo," From beside Marlowe, Antonio spoke up in confusion, "Why get off early and take a cab?"

Roger nodded, sharing a look with Adam, "Yeah, the 'L' camera shows she got on at the Jackson stop. She had to walk a mile to get to Jackson."

Voight walked closer to the board, "It's like she didn't want someone knowing where she was going."

"So I used the, uh, traffic PODS, followed her backwards from the Jackson stop," Adam pointed to the last photo on the timeline, "Looks like her night started right here. This is an apartment building on Wells Street."

Hank sent Hailey and Antonio to the apartment building Maggie had seemed to emerge from on the footage, leaving the others to continuing to dig deeper into the woman's seemingly nonexistent backstory. They did not have a last name, just a face, and an estimated address, but it had never stopped them from uncovering stuff before.

Roger rolled his chair over to the end of Marlowe's desk and sat down, brows raised as he seemed to stare her down.

"What's that look for?" She questioned, glancing between him and the computer monitor.

"You've been avoiding him," He leaned forwards on his elbows, nodding towards Jay who was stood looking intently at the crime board, "What's up with that?"

Marlowe gave her partner an annoyed look, "Really?"

"Yes, really. You haven't even looked at him since he got back from Veil."

"Hadn't noticed, Roger," She lied quickly, "Now would you please focus?"

The subject was dropped much to Marlowe's liking and Roger's dismay, the pair of them still rewinding through footage to see if they could spot anything else, anything they had missed.

"Guys," Jay called out from his desk while holding his phone away from his ear, waiting for everyone's attention and Voight to enter the bullpen from his office, "It's Hailey. We might have a problem."

Voight's brow raised, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, "What kind of problem?"

"The dead DEA agent kind."

"MAGGIE'S REAL NAME WAS ELLA PORTER," Antonio spoke as he and Kim updated the crime board, "Grew up in Chicago. Joined the DEA two years ago."

"Yeah, and based on the information we have, it looks like she was trying to ID the distributor supplying cocaine to these five clubs," Kim pointed to the list and then to a picture of a young man just above, "Her main target is this guy, Alex. He's the manager of Club Echo. Low-level dealer."

Out of the corner of her eye, Marlowe noticed Jay's posture from the other end of the desk they both leaned against had changed. His mouth was slightly agape and eyes held recognition at the sight of Alex's photograph taped to the board. She pursed her lips, leaning forwards slightly and turning back into Kim and Antonio's spiel.

"He sends Ella a text last night at 12:30," Kim looked down at her file to read from, "'I'll get you the intro you want. Meet me at Echo. We'll go from there.'"

Antonio nodded, "For now, we're assuming that intro was with Alex's source, the distributor."

Hailey hummed and stood from her seat, elaborating, "So, Ella gets to Club Echo around one a.m. Witnesses put her and Alex at the after party at two a.m. Jay saw her at two-thirty. And she was in the alleyway around three. Not a wide window."

"Hell, I'm thinking something went wrong at the party between Ella, Alex, and the distributor," Voight scoffed, "So let's go back to Echo, talk to this guy Alex. Work his ass. Figure out who his supplier is."

"Sarge, I know Alex," Jay stood up from where he had been perched at the end of Roger's desk, "I met him through Camila."

Marlowe had to turn her face to the side to hide rolling her eyes.

"So, uh, let me work him," He continued to volunteer, "Make an undercover buy."

Hank seemed to ponder on the thought, "Okay. You're taking Romero."

At the mention of her name, Marlowe's face contorted in confusion and looked between Hailey and Roger. Both seemed as confused as she was at her being volunteered to be Jay's accomplice to meet Alex. Why not Jay's own partner?

"All right," Jay shrugged.

Marlowe gave him a blank look as she got up and walked past him to grab her coat from the back of her chair. Jay waited near the back hallway for her, puzzled at her cold shoulder act as Marlowe chose to walk in front of him towards the stairwell. She did not stop her decent towards the lower level despite hearing Jay call out her name until she accidently ran into a lone officer coming up the stairs from the basement.

"I'm so sorry," She apologized, steadying herself with the banister.

The taller man shrugged, smiling, "It's no big deal."

"M," Jay stopped on the landing a few steps behind her.

Marlowe gave the unknown officer a quick flash of a smile before continuing down the stairs. She did not stop again until she had pushed her way outside to where Jay's truck was parked in the side lot, the locked doors preventing her from getting in the passenger's seat. Huffing at the realization that Jay had the say-so on what happened now, Marlowe glanced to her right to see him standing awkwardly by the hood.

She sighed, dropping her previously crossed arms to her sides, "Would you just unlock the truck already?"

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Jay held up the keys tauntingly.

"You're lying to me and it's pissing me off," Marlowe bluntly stated, tugging at the handle of the truck door, "Now let's get this over with."

His shoulder's slacked at Marlowe's words, "M, I need you to trust me on this."

"No," She shook her head, "I can't trust any partner that chooses to look me in the eye and lie. So, I don't want to hear any more of this, Jay. Let's just go."

By the end of her statement, Marlowe's voice had become an odd mixture of anger and hurt. Her eyes had gone back to avoiding his and settled on glaring at the rays of the setting sun hitting the dark grey paint of the truck.

Jay ended up unlocking the truck, rounding the other side with a torn expression on his face. Marlowe got in first and settled in the passenger's seat with her arms crossed over her front. Jay felt a slight pang in his chest at Marlowe's unusually cold actions and words, climbing into the vehicle and slamming the keys into the ignition.

The drive to Club Echo was painfully silent, no music and no conversation to fill the void growing between the two. Loud music and lights of blue, red, and violet created the atmosphere of the dancefloor, crowds of grinding bodies and waitresses carrying multiple trays of drinks occupied the dance floor. Marlowe followed behind Jay closely through the crowd towards a staircase that lead up to the second story of the club. He silently pointed at a figure leaning against the end of the railing, looking over the balcony and down at the swarm of people below.

"Yo, Alex, what's up man?" Jay greeted Alex with a hand-shake and quick hug before glancing back over his shoulder, "This is my friend Marlowe."

Alex grinned at the sight of Marlowe extending a hand outwards, "Nice to meet you, Marlowe."

"You, too," Marlowe shook his hand, giving him a forced smile.

Alex looked her over again before turning to Jay, "You only roll with pretty people, huh?"

Marlowe hummed, letting her smirk take over her lips.

Jay shrugged, "Try to, anyway."

"Ask me, it's a solid strategy," Alex claimed, "You two looking to party? 'Cause I'm feeling some pretty good vibes right now, especially from Marlowe."

Marlowe raised her eyebrows, laughing, "Are you, really?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Aw, sorry, Alex," She fake pouted, "You're not my type."

Jay snickered, "You're welcome to try a little, but she's gay."

"I don't judge, Ryan," He glanced back to Marlowe, "Or label."

Marlowe nodded, still amused, "Let's get some drinks, yeah?"

Jay nodded, the two of them following Alex across the balcony in the direction of the bar.

"So where's your girlfriend?" Alex asked Jay.

Marlowe's amusement fled as quickly as it had come.

"Oh, she's working Veil," Jay excused, "I might stop by later. Um, yo, I came by 'cause I wanted to see if you could hook me up."

The three of them had stopped in the middle of their route towards the bar. Alex gave the pair in front of him a confused look, taking a sip from the glass of liquor held in his hand.

"I wanna buy some blow," Jay told him.

Alex glanced around, "Why me?"

"Because I know you."

"You know Camila better," He stopped seeing the confusion in Jay's eyes, "Oh, huh, she didn't tell you?"

Jay quirked an eyebrow, "Tell me what?"

"She sells, too. And, I'm just guessing, she'll probably give you a better deal, since you're sleeping together and all."

Marlowe hummed at the man's words, giving Jay a knowing and smug look. He knew he had been caught but kept his composure as he turned back to Alex.

"Look, man, I know what Camila does," He lied, "but I don't like to mix business with pleasure. I think it makes things messy."

Alex looked intrigued, "Business? So this is more than just recreational."

"Yeah, I'm looking to buy some big product," Jay explained, "I got a lot of eager customers who want quality stuff."

Marlowe cut in, plastering on another smile, "We have eager customers, actually. We're in this together."

Alex nodded, "What kind of weight you thinking?"

"Quarter key."

Alex shook his head, "I don't have that kind of weight with me... I can get it. Nine grand."

"Come on, man, don't do me like that," Jay laughed, "We both know eight's the right number."

Alex looked sold by his words, "Meet me here tomorrow at one."

They both shared another handshake and embrace, before Jay pulled back.

"This stays between us, right?" He asked Alex.

The man nodded in agreement.

Marlowe offered Alex another grin and raised her hand to wriggle her fingers in a wave before turning away from him. This time she was in the lead as they weaved through the crowd towards an exit, her steps in line with the loud and pulsating beat of the club's music. She pushed open the exit, not caring if the metal door slammed shut on him behind her or not. Jay scoffed, widening his stride to keep up with her down the darkened side street.

"Did you really know that Camila was dealing?" Marlowe asked without thinking.

Jay did not respond at first.

She reached over and grabbed ahold of the sleeve of his jacket to pull him to a complete stop, "Oh no, we're talking about this right now."

"No, I didn't know," He shook his head, "but I'm not surprised. That's why I've been working her."

"No you're not! You're not working her, Jay, stop lying to me!" Marlowe finally snapped, her hand falling from his arm as she glared up at him, "You're sleeping with her, and now that you have her on paper, you're screwing both her and yourself!"

Jay's eyes narrowed, "Marlowe..."

"No! You're putting your job on the line!" She continued to scold him, "And now Camilla's mixed up in all this? What's next, lying to the Feds?"

"My relationship with Camila got us here," His voice had lowered in octave, frustrated and glassy-eyed as they argued, "It got us the buy with Alex, who's gonna lead us to the shooter."

Marlowe continued the tirade, her hands balling up into fists at her sides, "So, that's it then? No apology? No 'Marlowe, you were right. This would have been much easier if I had been honest since the beginning'? What are you doing, Jay? We could have helped you!"

"Don't-!" Jay had to pause to prevent himself from yelling back at her, "Don't baby me. I'm fine. I'm fine, all right?"

Marlowe scoffed, shaking her head, "Man, you could've fooled me."

"Mar, I can figure this out. Let's let Alex take us to the supplier who might be good for the murder," He had resorted to pleading with her to try to ice over the situation, "In the meantime, I'll talk to Camila, and I'll see what she knows."

Marlowe was tired, it had been a long and emotionally driven day. She had literally lept out of bed to come to Jay's aid at three in the morning, dealt with the mounting lies falling from his lips, and Jay had still tried to cover up his doings even after being caught red-handed. His actions felt like a slap in the face, not only did Marlowe consider Jay a dependable partner but he had found himself considered one of her closest friends.

But there they stood, with an enormous rift growing between them and shouting in the middle of a backstreet. It felt wrong, the fighting, and they both hated it. They were just too stubborn to let the other have the last word.

Taking a deep breath, Marlowe's head lowered to look at her feet, scuffing her heels against the pavement, "Jay, we have to talk to Voight about this..."

"No, not yet" Jay disagreed, taking another step closer to her, "Mar, give me a few hours. Please."

She glanced up at him, unsure, "Jay..."

He leaned down so eyes bore deeper into hers, "That's it, that's all I ask for is a few hours."

Jay did not know it, but those bright blue eyes of his could surely be the cause of death for Marlowe one day. Staring into them through blurry vision, Marlowe choked on her words of disapproval as the anger prematurely left her mind. For a second, she forgot what she was doing just because she had looked into Jay's pleading eyes.

"Okay," Marlowe caved in a hoarse voice, "But that's all you get."

Jay nodded, muttering a soft 'thank you' before turning his back on her to walk in the direction they had parked the truck. For a moment, Marlowe remained in place watching him walk away from her with sad eyes. She swallowed her emotions, telling herself it was no time to freeze up before she slowly followed after him.

He dropped her off in front of the precinct, informing her that he was going to see Camilla. Wordlessly, Marlowe got out of the truck and let the passenger door slam shut behind her. Upon entering the bullpen again, all their colleagues' eyes were on her. She managed to murmur out a greeting as she placed her belongings on her desk.

"Well," Voight spoke up, leaning in the doorway of his office, "What do we got?"

Marlowe knitted her fingers together in front of her as she leaned her hip against the side of Kevin's desk, "A buy with Alex at one tomorrow, meaning he needs to buy a quarter key from his supplier."

"All right, and we already got him hooked up," Kevin gave her a reassuring thumbs up, "We got a wire on his cell and his burner phone."

Alvin added, "GPS tracker on his car too."

"So if this guy moves, we'll know it," Adam told Voight, "Hopefully we track him to his source. We can bust them both."

Voight nodded, "Well, we stay on top of him until then. He moves. We move."

Everyone agreed and went back to what they were doing before Marlowe had returned. Seeing Voight was lingering in the office, his eyes on her, Marlowe stood up straighter and slowly approached him.

"Hey, where's Jay?" He asked.

Marlowe hesitated in answering, "Uh, he's with Camila."

Voight did not look convinced, "Is that all you want to tell me?"

"I don't have much else to say," She lied, "He's trying to figure out what she knows."

Hank shook his head after studying her face before turning to go back into his office.

Hailey rolled backwards from her desk and rose to stand on Marlowe's right, "Hey, what is it?"

"It's..." Marlowe stopped herself, pausing to give Hailey a forced smile, "It's not my place."

But Hailey seemed to understand Marlowe's torn expression and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. There were four people in Jay's life that could tell when he was lying, that knew him the best, people who could see right through him. Aside from his own brother, the remaining three worked closely alongside with him.

Hailey and Marlowe both wanted to protect Jay, but in order to do that, they would have to play their cards right.

But unfortunately for them, it was Jay's turn to deal.

ALEX WAS IN CUSTODY THE NEXT DAY after the pick-up of the drugs went in the opposite direction than they wanted. Marlowe stood in silence with Hailey and Jay on the other side of plexiglass window from the dealer, arms crossed in front of her. Antonio and Kim were grilling him on evidence Roger had compiled into a folder for them that morning: texts from the night of the murder, about the drugs, all of it.

He was less than compliant about answering their questions, being short and monotone until the Kim read off the text messages.

Alex sneered, "It's a text message. Had nothing to do with anybody dying."

"The text message is enough to lock you up, plus the drugs," Kim argued.

"Guys, I'm a nobody," Alex threw up his hands, "I go to a garage to pick up blow and grab a garage door opener. When I sell the blow, I go to the address on the opener and drop the cash. No faces. No names."

Antonio pointed across the table at him, "I'm losing my patience. Tell us something about the night of the murder, or we're locking your ass up."

"I was just making an intro," Alex claimed, "I make a thousand bucks every time I make an intro. That's it. That's all I was doing... The person who recruited me."

Kim nodded, "We need a name."

"Camila Vega."

Marlowe bit down on her lower lip, her eyes flickering to the right to Jay's reflection in the glass. His expression was contorted into one of concern and looked to be deep in thought. Quickly, Jay turned on his heel and wordlessly went for the door when Hailey stopped him, standing between him and the exit.

"Hey, no. You can't talk to her," Hailey told him, "She's a suspect now."

Jay shook his head, "No, she is not. She would not do something like this. I know her."

Marlowe looked over her shoulder at the partners, frowning.

"Just let me talk to her," He continued, "'cause maybe I can figure this out, I can get a name."

He tried to move forwards again, but Hailey only continued to block his path, "Jay, no, hey. You are not thinking straight. Whatever loyalty you have to this girl, it is not worth it. You have to let it go, man."

Jay turned to glare at Marlowe, giving an indescribable look. He believed she had told Haley everything that had been discovered the night before.

Like she recognized the meaning behind his gaze, Marlowe's arms fell at her side, "Jay, no, I-"

Before she could get another word out, he was already pushing past Hailey and storming out the back door. Marlowe yelled after him, skidding to a stop in the middle of the hallway in time to see him disappear into the shadows of the stairwell. She cursed, stepping forwards like she was going to intervene his departure, but Hailey caught hold of her arm.

"What's going on?" Voight asked, entering the hallway from the bullpen, noticing Hailey holding Marlowe in place and Jay's absence.

Hailey looked to Marlowe.

"He's going to go see Camila," Marlowe shrugged out Hailey's grasp, "She's been identified by Alex as a dealer and should be considered a suspect. Jay disagrees."

Hank looked irate, "Anything else?"

"I... We need to stop him..."

Marlowe walked around both Hank and Hailey, striding into the office and to Roger's desk.

Roger looked up from his computer with a worried face, "What is it?"

"I need you to tap in and track Jay's phone," She told him.

He looked unsure, "You're kidding. Like, right now?"

"Yes, Roger, right now."

He complied despite his confusion, typing in Jay's phone number into a bar on the screen.

"Take the 'L' to the train station near Grant Park," Jay's voice exited the speakers connected to the computer, "No phone, no car. And I'll meet you there. Just meet me there. We have to find a way out of this. Just me and you."

Marlowe turned to look at Hailey and Voight, "They're running."

Voight nodded. "Then we need to go. Now."

Roger watched with a slacked jaw as Marlowe led Voight and Hailey out the back of the precinct, still seated at his desk beyond confused.

Marlowe rode in the passenger's seat of Hank's vehicle with Hailey occupying the middle seat of the back bench as their sergeant drove in the direction of Grant Park. Her fingers were interlocked tightly together in her lap, deadpanning at the dashboard. Voight drove recklessly through traffic, even turning blue lights on in more congested areas to get by quicker. The goal was to intercept Jay in the park before he even had the chance to meet Camila.

Her stomach was twisted painfully into what felt like multiple knots, Marlowe fighting with herself over if what she was doing was right. She knew legally, yes, that Camilla needed to be investigated and that Jay had overstepped one too many boundaries. But a part of her felt guilty, guilty for feeling selfish for being driven because of her bond with Jay. Marlowe had involved herself too deeply, lost too much sleep, overlooked one too many details all because she wanted to get him out of this mess.

The nauseating feeling she was feeling only worsened as she followed in Hank and Hailey's shadows through Grant Park. The three of them were keeping their eyes open in all directions, seeing if they could spot Jay or Camila. Marlowe walked with her hands in the pockets of her peacoat, a frown settling on her lips as they drew nearer to the heart of the park. Approaching the opening large, arched tunnel, her attention turned to look forwards over her cohort's shoulders. Her heart seemed to stop as they stopped, seeing Jay already making his way towards them. Jay paused in surprise.

At first, Marlowe had expected him to turn and dart off in the other direction.

"Hell are you doing here?" Hank asked casually, him and Hailey standing directly before him.

Jay's eyes narrowed and his brows drew together as he glanced over them at Marlowe, "I don't know what she told you-"

Marlowe tried her best to maintain a strong enough expression to stare back at him with.

"You think she needed to tell me something?" Voight defended her, "Jay, you're not that good... So I'll ask you again. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm going to see Camila," He stated matter-of-factly.

"I know that," Voight stated more firmly, "I ran your muds and tolls. My question is, 'why'?"

"To see what she knows," Jay lied.

Hank hummed, "Okay. Well, here's what I know. She's a suspect in the murder of a DEA agent."

"She didn't kill anybody," Jay argued.

Hailey then interjected, "You don't know that."

Jay stared down at her with the same narrowed eyes he had given Marlowe.

"You're gonna work her," Voight pulled out a small black speaker from his pocket and held it up in front of Jay's face, "You're gonna wear this wire. You're gonna find out exactly what she knows and bury her ass. You understand me?"

Marlowe watched nervously as Jay glanced between Hank's face and the device a few times. He looked so torn, weighing his options. The pit grew deeper in her gut despite Jay eventually accepting his role and taking hold of the wire. Hailey turned towards Marlowe as Jay clipped the wire to the interior of his jacket, reaching an arm out to guide her back in the direction they came from. Voight lingered, giving Jay another hard stare before eventually returning to their car.

Despite her mind racing at a thousand miles per hour, Marlowe still sat up their receiver in her lap. She turned the radio on and turned the volume up so that they could even hear the slightest rustle of the material of Jay's jacket against the cold Chicago wind. Then, they just had to wait until Jay found Camila.

"Why are we meeting here?" A woman's voice asked, "I don't understand."

Jay's voice came through the receiver next, "Look, I talked to Mike. He said Alex got busted
and I should tell you."

"Alex?" Camilla seethed, "You gotta be kidding me."

"Cam, what is going on?"

Marlowe's face contorted at the mention of the nickname.

Camilla spoke through shaky breaths, "I lied, okay? I don't... I don't just deal a little, okay? I recruit dealers. I hook them up with product."

"Okay, so you messed up. You're moving drugs," Jay made his tone sound firmer, "What does that have to do with the DEA agent?"

"I was recruiting her through Alex, okay? That's why she was at the party," She confessed, "She came to talk to me."

Hailey scoffed from the backseat.

"Did you talk?" Jay asked her.

"No. No, I got nervous. I heard someone call her by a different name. Uh, Ella. So I told the guy that I work for that something was wrong, that she wasn't who she said she was."

"Then what?"

"Then she was dead."

Marlowe glanced over at Voight, "He's got to be our shooter then."

Hank only gave a solitary nod.

"Who'd you tell? What's his name?" Jay pressed.

Camilla quickly refused, "No."

"Yeah. Cam, you gotta tell me his name," Jay tried reassuring her, "You gotta tell me his name.
Maybe I can help, all right? But I need to know who shot her."

"You can't help me, okay? No one can!" Camilla's voice rose, panic evident, "And I need to get out of here now... Are you coming with me? Yes or no?"

Marlowe felt her body stiffen at the question, the pause before his answer much too delayed for her liking.

"Yeah. Yeah, but first we gotta get out in front of this," He told her, "The only way out of this, for both of us, is if we get proof you didn't know that dealer was gonna kill her."

"He'll kill me," Camilla added through gritted teeth, "He'll kill both of us."

"No, I am not gonna let that happen," There was another pause between his words, Camilla's sniffles filling the radio, "I love you."

Marlowe felt like she was going to be sick on the spot.

Jay's voice filled the car once more, "I know I didn't say it before, but it's true."

Through her sniffles, Camilla managed to stutter out, "His name is Wallace Blake."

Hailey quickly wrote that down in the field notebook in her lap.

"The guy you were talking to at the club the other day?" Jay questioned, All right, here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna text him, and you're gonna tell him to meet you at Veil. We're gonna get a confession. It's the only way to clear your name."

"Are we going to let him do this?" Hailey asked, leaning forwards between the two front seats.

Hank pondered, shaking his head, "It's our best chance at making this case."

Marlowe closed the receiveras the line grew silent, leaning back against her seat, "That doesn't mean wehave to like it..."

UNDER THE RED LIGHTS OF THE VEIL CLUB, Marlowe sat with Antonio at the busy bar with an untouched bottle of beer between her shaking hands. While she knew Alvin was sat at the back of the lounge behind them and that the others were just right outside, Marlowe could not help but run through all of the ways that this could all go wrong inside her brain. Her grip tightened around the glass bottle when she heard Antonio speak into the piece hidden in the sleeve of his coat pocket.

"Eyes up, he's here."

She only caught a glimpse of Wallace Blake's dark shadow as he went directly to the door to the back where Camilla and Jay would be waiting for him. She glanced over her shoulder towards Al, who was pretending to be on the phone, leaned up against the far wall. He gave her a reassuring nod. Despite his attempt, Marlowe turned back to the beer in her hands.

Maybe one sip would not hurt.

It was not long before there were sounds of a struggle coming from the back room, grunts and the sounds of things breaking causing the three Intelligence members to move in from their seats. Alvin removed his gun from the holster on his hip and kicked open the door.

"Chicago PD," He announced nonchalontly, strolling inside the room.

Jay and Wallace were still fighting one another, Antonio moving in to quickly help aid him in retaining the man. Alvin instead approached Camilla who had her hands raised with Wallace's discarded gun in her hand. While Antonio leaned Wallace uncomfortably over the arm of the nearby couch to cuff him, Marlowe instinctively reached for the sleeve of Jay's coat.

Jay looked at her with the softest expression she had received that day, her shoulders relaxing as he told her that he was good in a soft voice.

Voight had barged in the backdoor, quickly swiping the weapon from Camilla's hands and leaving Hailey to pull her hands behind her back and secure them with handcuffs. Camilla stared with wide eyes as Alvin and Marlowe who were checking on Jay. He looked back at her with pleading and sorry eyes, but she just shook her head in disbelief, her gaze never leaving his until Hailey turned her to take her away.

Camilla now knew he had been lying about everything all this time.

Jay's eyes glazed over with tears, Alvin patting him on the shoulder and telling him that it would be okay.

But was it really? Was it all going to be okay? Marlowe did not think it was.

"Jay," She gently pulled at his hand to lead him to the exit, "Jay, we have to go."

"I- I..." He stammered, reluctantly following her.

Though she felt a pang in the center of her chest, she continued to console him, saying a soft 'I know' as she and Alvin took him towards the truck parked alongside the wall of Veil in the back alleyway with Antonio pushing Wallace out the door behind them. Alvin broke off to leave with Antonio in their car with Wallace being thrown into the back.

Marlowe and Jay got into the truck; his gaze casted downwards at the steering wheel in front of him as his door slammed shut.

"There's nothing I can do now is there?" Jay asked in a soft voice.

"You don't need to do anything else," Was her simple, but soft response.

The drive back to the precinct was silent besides the occasional sniffle that came from Jay. Marlowe had noted the lingering smell of ginger and rose in her usual seat in the truck, much different from either hers or Hailey's perfumes. A scowl tugged at her lips at the thought of an outsider being present in the front seat of the truck. Marlowe suddenly felt angry again, glancing at Jay's profile as he drove, but could not pinpoint the exact root of it all. She chopped it up to being a mixture of all the things that had unfolded in the past few days, but the sensation was overwhelming and made Marlowe feel sick to her stomach. She could not remember the last time anything had made her feel like this.

What really was going on with her?

"I have to go talk to her," Was all that Jay had said when they had entered the front doors, walking straight past Trudy's desk and towards the basement stairs.

Marlowe watched after him, shaking her head in disbelief and thinking what good would come from trying to talk to Camilla now.

"Pick up the bottom lip, Romero," Trudy commented, not even looking up from the paperwork sprawled out in front of her on the desk, "It's not attractive."

A sour scoff left her lips, Marlowe walking in the opposite direction past the desk, "Thanks for the reminder, Platt."

"Don't mention it."

Marlowe went upstairs, shedding her jacket as she rounded her desk to take a much-needed seat. Roger perked up from where he had been sitting at his desk filling out Camilla's and Wallace's booking papers into the system and called out to her, but Marlowe just laid her head down against the surface of her desk.

"Mar?" Roger's voice was soft as he approached his partner but froze upon seeing her shoulders shaking with silent cries. Awkwardly, he glanced around the otherwise empty room, "Hey, um, so... What is it?"

"I don't know, Roger," Marlowe murmured, sitting up to violently wipe the tears from her face, "I'm probably just tired."

"Hm, that's all?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rolling her eyes, Marlowe swiped the back of her hand across her face again and took a deep breath to compose herself, "Where's the others?"

"Voight and Al are with Blake, Hailey and Antonio are prepping for Camilla. I think the others are gathering up other information to use against them." He perched himself at the end of her desk, patting her back gently, "You don't want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Rog," She quickly dismissed, standing from her seat, "I'm going to get a cup of coffee."

Roger pursed his lips, watching her stand and brush past him, "What's in there's probably already stale."

"Then I'll brew a new one. Cheers to midnight."

Roger followed Marlowe into the break room and made small talk about the day while a new pot of coffee brewed on the counter they were leaned against. Roger may have been the newest set of eyes on the team, but in his weeks at the precinct he had already gotten a fairly decent baseline on how his coworkers usually acted. He considered Marlowe to be a friend, they got along great, and already he knew better then to push her into discussions she did not want to have, but her distracted demeanor was anything but like her. She seemed to hear what he was saying, even gave decent responses to what Roger was saying, but Marlowe did not seem to be fully listening.

They ended up watching Camilla's interrogation that Antonio and Hailey were in charge of. Marlowe stood expressionless on the other side of the window with her hot mug of coffee in hand. Roger watched her closely as he took a sip of his own beverage, having balanced most of the hot bitterness out with the creamer he kept in the lounge's refrigerator.

"I heard someone call Maggie by a different name," Camilla reiterated her words from earlier, "All right? Ella, I think. So I panicked because I thought she might be a cop. I told Wallace to be careful, but I didn't think he was gonna kill her."

Antonio stared at her from across the table, "When's the last time you saw Ella?"

"Around three in the morning," She responded, "She was heading out the door with Wallace."

Hailey stood from where she was leaned against the wall next to the door, "That's good testimony. Problem is, Wallace says you killed her."

Camilla's eyebrows furrowed, "That's crazy, I don't even own a gun."

With a tired sigh, Antonio shifted forwards onto his elbows, "All right, that's not good enough."

A look of contempt filled her expression, turning her body to deliberately mirror Antonio's hostile body language, "You know what? When the murder was happening, I was in the back room screwing your partner. Is that good enough?"

Marlowe pinched the bridge of her nose between her right index finger and thumb.

"Oh, so he's in trouble-trouble," Roger commented under his breath, taking another sip of coffee, "What an idiot."

"Thanks for stating the obvious Roger," Marlowe said, eyes still closed in thought.

Antonio and Hailey left Camilla in the interrogation room, Hailey stopping into the adjacent room to talk to the others while Antonio went in search of Hank. Hailey noticed Marlowe's demeanor and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I think it's time you call it a night," She told her, "You look rough."

Roger laughed into his mug, "I second all of that."

"I can't leave, Hailey," Marlowe shook her head.

"Well, you are," Hailey reached out and pried the cup of coffee from Marlowe's hand, "And you will. I will take care of it."

"But-"

"Marlowe," Hailey interrupted her, "I will take care of it. I promise."

She blinked, looking between the awaiting gazes of her two colleagues, "Fine..."

"Text me when you get home, so I know you didn't kiss the wheel," Roger tried joking.

Marlowe managed a small smile, "Thank you... both of you."

Hailey and Roger just watched her leave around the corner, sharing a glance of worry once she was out of sight.

Marlowe didn't know what to do with herself after she arrived home from shift. She had stripped from the day's clothes and just settled on lounging in the living room in a large t-shirt. On the drive home she been invited out to Molly's by Kim via text to drink the rest of the night away with her and Kevin, but Marlowe was in no mood to socially drink. However, the fully stocked liquor cabinet in the kitchen, seemed to be tempting her its way with every passing minute Marlowe she continued to wallow in her thoughts.

She had come to terms that she was jealous but had not accepted as to why she was feeling that way. Frankly, her heart felt broken, and she loathed the energy she was wasting over the entire scenario. The pit in her stomach continued to be nauseating and her bottom lip had finally split open from biting down on it so harshly.

But what was it that she was really envious of?

Maybe it was the fact that her usual anticipation of the random adventures she and Jay would take between or after shifts had been on a standstill in the last few weeks. Or had it been because that Marlowe had been having more lunch breaks alone? There had not been any sport nights lately at either of their homes. There was also the possibility that it was because Jay had basically risked his entire career for someone he had only just met.

Probably all of the above.

Marlowe had become so accustomed to it just being her and Jay as a duo since Greg had left, his departure only having brought them closer together. She was not ready to admit that something else may have come out of Greg's absence, something real. If anything, Marlowe had talked herself into believing that all of her emotions had come from being a figment of her imagination, feelings that may have spawned out loneliness and latched on to the closest person available to take it all away. It was something she thought would eventually go away.

It had never bothered her like this before, even with Hailey- and she was Jay's partner.

Throwing all of her jumbled thoughts to the wind, Marlowe pushed herself up from the couch. Her socks scuffed against the hardwood floor as she walked in the direction of the kitchen, her sights set on the glass-faced china cabinet that instead of holding elegant dishes, was home to her extensive collection of alcohol and a variety of glasses.

Her frustration was poured into drink after drink, hour after hour until she eventually fell asleep on the couch. Half of Marlowe's body hung off the end of the furniture, laid a mess between the throw pillows and blankets she had strewn about from getting too warm. Marlowe's empty whiskey glass had fallen from her grasp and miraculously landed safely upon the shag rug covering the majority of the floor. The television was still on, the only light remaining on in the house, now stuck on a light-night rerun of Full House.

At around midnight, just about an hour after Marlowe had drunk herself into slumber, her phone buzzed from its discarded position on the coffee table. The vibration against the glass tabletop did not gain even a stir in her slumber while the device's screen lit up with a singular, short message.

Jay: Can we talk?

THE BUZZING OF THE DOORBELL CAUSED A GROAN OF ANNOYANCE TO FALL FROM MARLOWE'S LIPS. It was loud, constant, and only added to the headache she had earned from her consumption from the night before.

Her body had further sprawled out across the couch, pillows and blankets discarded across the floor messily. Marlowe shifted, falling instantly from the couch into the space between it and the coffee table. A grunt left her lips as she sat up on her knees, staring angrily through the mess of hair hanging in her face at the front door. The silhouette on the other side of the frosted glass pressed the buzzer once more, the noise echoing through the entirety of the house and Marlowe's aching head.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," She whined, managing to push herself up with the help from the furniture around her.

Marlowe stumbled towards the door, unbolting the door before pulling it open. A grimace filled her expression, eyes quickly shutting at the sudden brightness of the sun entering her home. Shielding her eyes with her hand, Marlowe forced her eyes open to face the person stood on the front stoop.

Brooklyn stood before her, arms crossed over her chest and a look of disapproval on her face. She was dressed nicely, a pair of blue jeans that hugged each curve and a thick burgundy sweater. The heeled boots she wore gave her even more height and her hair was curled and pulled halfway up to keep it out of her eyes.

"Seriously, Brooke?" Marlowe sighed.

Her older sister looked her appearance over before brushing past her into the living area, "Well, I tried calling."

Marlowe refrained from telling her she had not heard her ringtone, knowing that much was obvious, and watched as Brooklyn examined the state of the room around her.

"God, what is that smell?" Brooklyn asked, her nose scrunched up in disgust, "Did you go on a booze cruise or what?"

"Or what," Marlowe rolled her eyes, shutting the door only to lean back against it for support, "What do you want this early on a Saturday?"

"It's almost noon. And did you really forget?" The sister's brows raised, "Marlowe, it's our day to visit Cody."

Marlowe's mouth formed in the shape of an 'o'.

Brooklyn exhaled slowly, trying not to lose her cool, "Go get dressed or I'm leaving your ass."

Wasting no time on complaining about her sister's bossiness, Marlowe quickly went upstairs to change. Grabbing whatever looked like it went together from her wardrobe, she quickly went to her adjoined bathroom to brush her teeth and brush through her tangled hair. The pair of dark jeans and cream-colored turtleneck she had picked went well enough together, making sure to grab a jacket and her purse on the way out of the room.

"Finally," Brooklyn had been waiting impatiently at the bottom of the stairs.

"I wasn't gone five minutes, shut up."

With a laugh, Brooklyn pulled opened the wooden door, "Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the couch this morning."

On her way out the door was when Marlowe finally checked the collection of notifications on her phone, pausing in the doorway in the midst of closing the front door. She had spotted Jay's text message from the night before, freezing in place as she read over it again. In the moment, Marlowe had been tempted to drop everything and respond, to just run to him to talk everything out. And she probably would have if it had not been for a faint voice in the back of her head telling her that it could wait.

Brooklyn had already made it to the gate by the time she noticed Marlowe had not budged from the front stoop, huffing in annoyance, "What now? What is it?"

"Nothing," Marlowe declared after another moment, finally shutting the front door, "Nothing at all."

So, just like her feelings, she ignored it.

season five, episode ten

Marlowe's outfit inspirations for this episode

published ── 09.10.21