⋆° დ ༄ UNTIL THERE WAS FOREVER
chapter thirteen. sanctuary.

"Yeah, so if you want to roll up to the laugh factory with me tonight, I think that would be dope. I signed up for the open mic" Kevin says as he and Sam walk onto the unit.

Sam smiles and says, "you did it"

"I could use a friendly face and if everything goes well, Herrmann says I can do an open mic at Molly's"

"That's awesome man. I'm excited for you. Can Wyatt come? He's been having trouble in school lately and with Justin gone, I want him to have a good role model...and I was thinking, if you wanted to, of course, be that for him?"

"Yeah, of course" Kevin smiles, as they stop at the officers desk.

"Okay, so, give me a preview"

"Yeah?"

"Show me what you got"

"Okay." Kevin smiles, setting his coffee cup on his desk, "okay, so, uh, what's the only place in Chicago that has 24 hour police protection?"

Sam clears her throat and says, "a donut shop"

"You heard that one?"

"A couple times"

"Yeah, donut...donut shop. That gets laughs usually"

"Look, I thought you wanted to do, like, more observational comedy"

"Yeah, I was thinking about that."

"Kev, you're funny. Just do Atwater"

"Okay" Kevin says, as the two fist bump.

Sam walks over to sit at her desk, and shrugs off her coat, putting it on the back of her chair and sits down when Jay hangs up his desk phone and says, "patrol found the body of a dead woman in Washington park. We're getting called in"

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Sam sighs, as Voight trails behind the girl, as they walk underneath the police tape, over to the body and says, "spoke to the first officer on the scene. Said it looks like she was out for a jog. Pants are pulled down around her ankles. M.E will tell us if it is what it looks like it is"

Voight puts on a glove and feels her cheek and says, "she's still warm"

"First responding officers called an ambulance right away, even though they couldn't find a pulse."

"They found a phone near the body. I called 911 and the dispatcher gave me her name. Zoey Sims" Al says.

"Zoey Sims" Hank repeats.

"Yeah. Well, nobody in this neighborhood leaves a bottle half full" Al says, pointing to the bottle of liquor on the ground next to the girl.

"I want it hand delivered to the lab. This just happened. Whoever did it can't be far away"

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"Suspects went into the church, boss" Kevin says, as he and Rixton walk down the church front steps, as the team arrives at said church.

"The doors locked" Kenny says.

"Cover the sides and the rear" Voight orders.

"Copy that" a couple patrolmen say.

A priest peeks his head out the door and walks out and says, "I'm sorry officers, but unless you're here to pray, you can't come inside" then a bunch of other people follow him out.

"Okay, father, I have witnesses that saw two men go inside your church that are suspects in a rape and murder. We'll be very respectful, but we need to go in and get 'em" Voight says.

"First of all, they're not men. They're boys. And they now have sanctuary inside this church."

"Ah, like hell they do" Rixton says, about to head inside when Voight catches the back of his jacket pulling him back and says. "Hey, Kenny. We can't go in. Father, there's no need to escalate the situation, okay? A young woman was just murdered in Washington park. The boys inside your church were at the scene of the crime."

"But I just talked to them. They said all they were doing was drinking."

"That's great. If that's the case, send 'em out, I'll clear 'em"

"I can't"

"It's your church"

"It's God's church. These boys asked for my protection, and I've taken a sacred vow to provide sanctuary when it's requested."

"And I've taken a sacred vow to protect the people of this city. Now, just because they're inside the church, doesn't mean they're above the law."

"Father, I grew up catholic. Priests in my church always respected the police." Kenny says, "and if you committed a sin, you were supposed to be punished."

"I happen to know these boys. They're in foster care. They have no parents. They have no money for a lawyer. There's nobody to stand for them expect us, and we're not going anywhere" the priest says.

The people standing behind the priest started chanting, "we're not going anywhere" as a news van pulls up to the church.

"Alright, I want uniforms on every exit. We're gonna clear and commandeer this building. Get CPIC out here, bring mobile computers, set up a hard line." Hank orders, then looks at the priest, "we're not going anywhere either"

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Next door from the church, the intelligence team sets up, like a mobile commander center, just without the mobile part, at a preschool.

"Forensics fast tracked photos from the crime scene." Porter says, as he and Sam tape up pictures of the victim onto a chalkboard, "the M.E says the victims injuries are consistent with strangulation."

"And she shows clears signs of sexual assault. Vaginal tearing. They're running the DNA now." Sam says.

"DOA was Zoey Sims. 27 years old." Kim says, getting her picture from the printer and tapes it onto the board, "according to her Linkedin profile, she was a saleswoman at a relocation company. She's not in any law enforcement databases, never been arrested."

"The guy who does have a long rap sheet is the priest." Kenny says, looking at the laptop, "Father Bill McSorely's been arrested 11 times, civil disobedience stuff, most recently for defacing liquor billboards in his neighborhood."

"Hey, Al, don't you have some kind of beef with Father McSorely?" Kevin asks.

"Father Mcsoundbite. Loves to point fingers at cops." Al says, putting his coat on, "threw one of my old partners under the bus"

"It's quite a scene out there" Kot says, walking into the room.

"Thanks for coming down" Hank says.

"Yeah, I understand you have a couple of suspects claiming sanctuary protection inside the church."

"How long can they stay?" Jay asks.

"As long as the priest will have them"

Rixton bangs his hand on the chalkboard and says, "look at this. Why are we waiting around on some custom?"

"Because, Kenny, it's not some back alley gang bust. If we're gonna pull those boys out of that church with the whole city watching, it's gonna be with a warrant and an airtight case" Voight says then looks at Kevin, "alright check the POD footage on the park cameras. Let's find out who Zoey was. Okay, run her emails, check her phone records. And let's notify her family before they hear it on the news. Al, you and Burgess"

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Sam and Erin approach the door of Travis James and Erin knocks on the door and says, "Travis James. Chicago PD"

When the two detectives heard a crashing noise, they grab onto their guns and Erin bangs on the door again and says, "open up!"

The door opens to a Travis James with a bloody hand and Sam asks, "what's going on in here?"

"I put my fist through a mirror"

~~~

"When I found out, I just started breaking everything" Travis says, as he sits at his kitchen table, with a cloth wrapped around his hand as the two detectives follow him into the kitchen, "without Zoey, I got nothing"

"When was the last time you saw Zoey?" Sam asks. Travis sighs and says, "two days ago"

"You didn't see her this morning?"

"No, I was in bed."

"Travis, Zoey's mom said the two of you were having problems." Erin says.

"That's not true. We were gonna get married"

"Her mom said, Zoey was breaking up with you"

"What are you talking about? Why are you even here? The guys that killed Zoey are in that church!"

"Can anybody verify where you were this morning?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, my pillow"

Sam scoffs and says, "you're gonna have to do better than that. Come on"

"What, are you gonna arrest me? Go ahead. I got nothing left to lose. No?" Travis says, getting up and walking to his sink, "great. Now leave me alone"

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"Miles Vincent, 16 years old, and Jaylen Hines, 15 years old." Jay says, taping their pictures onto the board, back at the preschool where they had set up shop, "they're both in the foster care system, and they're both in the same home"

"These boys have a history of trouble together. They got piped for stealing a car stereo just last year" Erin says.

"What are we waiting around for?" Rixton asks, "some angle to whisper into the priests ear?"

"Relax. Hey, you know who runs wash park?" Hank asks.

"Yeah. G park lords"

"Alright, see if the boys were jumped into a gang. And if we have to start throwing charges or arrests, you go at them with both barrels." Hank says to Kenny then walks over to the board, "alright, I want to start building a timeline on these boys. And let's talk to Zoeys co workers, her friends. Let's make sure we haven't overlooked anything"

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"Oh, this is a tragedy. I don't even know what to say. This is Zoeys desk" the manager says, stopping at Zoey's desk, followed by Sam and Brayden.

"Was" Brayden says.

"How long did Zoey work for you?" Sam asks.

"Four years. She worked all hours, and she was loyal to a fault." Kirby Michaels says.

"Didn't it concern you then when she didn't show up this morning?"

"Well, I allow certain employees to work from home sometimes. So long as the work gets done, and Zoey's work always got done"

Brayden picks up a picture frame from the victims desks and shows it to Kirby and asks, "you know him?"

"That's her boyfriend. They were having issues"

"She looks happy"

"Well, like I said, she was loyal to a fault"

"Hi, I'm Lara Michaels" the blonde says, walking over to the group.

"This is my wife"

"I'm the CEO of this company, and as I'm sure Kirby told you, Zoey was one of our most cherished employees. So, we want to help you in any way possible"

"We're gonna want access to all of her work emails and call logs" Sam says.

"Whatever you need. Whoever killed Zoey..." Lara trails off and the two detectives nod.

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"So, I've been looking into Zoey's stepfather, Eddie Ryan" Kevin says, taping his picture onto the board, "this cat has two priors in Buffalo for domestic violence"

"Let's see if he has an alibi for this morning" Hank says, then turns to Rixton and asks, "Hey, you talk to that shot caller from the G park lords?"

"Yeah, I looked for him, but he skipped town. The word on the street is these boys are clean. There's no gang affiliations"

"I got something. Open case file on Miles' mother, Arlene Vincent" Jay says, looking at the laptop, "Postal worker, murdered coming home from work. No arrests were made and, get this, it happened exactly one year ago"

"You're saying she was murdered a year ago today?" Sam asks, standing up from sitting on one of the tables.

"Yeah"

"That's why Miles was getting drunk in the park" Al says.

"Sergeant" Father McSorley says, walking into the room, "You can speak with the boys on two conditions. Inside the church and no gun"

Hank puts his gun down on the table and follows after the priest.

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After Zoey's landlord identifying Kirby Michaels as said girls 'boyfriend', Sam and Brayden bring him in for questioning.

"I don't understand what I can add. Didn't you catch Zoey's killers in the church?"

Brayden leans against the light blue walls in interrogation and says, "Problem with those guys is they don't really have a motive for killing Zoey."

"Well, maybe they don't need a motive. Maybe they're animals"

Sam sits down in the chair in front of Kirby and asks, "Did your wife know you were having an affair with Zoey Sims? Hmm?" Kirby stays silent, "I'll take that as a no"

"How long were you sleeping with Zoey?" Brayden asks.

"Look. Me and Zoey? It wasn't serious"

"Now, Kirby, a guy having an affair with an employee in a company owned by his wife. Now, there's a motive"

Kirby scoffs and says, "You gotta be kidding" as Brayden sits down next to his partner.

"The landlord heard you arguing with Zoey and saw you leave" Sam says.

"It's true. I wanted to break it off, and Zoey got upset"

"She threatened to tell your wife. You wanted to keep her quiet" Brayden says.

"No, no. It was an argument. Between two adults. I mean, that's all we were, two consenting adults. That's not against the law"

"After your argument, Zoey went jogging. Where did you go?" Sam asks.

"I was in a logistics meeting at the Public Hotel. I swear. And there's 10 people who can verify that. Screw it. Call my wife. I had an affair with this woman, but I didn't kill her"

~~~

"Well, I checked Kirby Michaels' alibi. He was in a meeting at the time of Zoey's murder" Kim says, leaning on her desk.

"Anything on the stepfather?" Voight asks.

"Oh, no, Eddie Ryan's airtight, boss. Three people put him at work at the time of Zoey's murder" Atwater says.

"Violent stepfather, crazy boyfriend, sleazy boss. Zoey sure had some winners in her life" Sam says.

"And the M.E just finished the DNA test on Zoey. there's no match for Miles or Jaylen" Kenny says.

"So, a day into this, and we're right back where we started" Jay says.

"Throw a wider net. Go knock on doors. Talk to everyone again" Hank orders.

~~~

"Somewhere in there" Erin points to the screen, where a video is playing of Zoey stretching, then looking over her shoulder looking at someone who is watching her, then jogging away.

"I know that guy. Yeah, he's the park worker who put the two boys at the scene of the murder" Kim says, picking up a file from her desk, "Russell Tillman"

"Ping his phone" Hank says.

"The number he gave me is out of service, but I got an address off his license. 3942 Wyoming street"

"Get a warrant. Let's hit it"

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After clearing the home of Russell Tillman, Kenny calls out, "Hey, Sarg. You're gonna wanna see this"

Hank, Sam, Erin, Jay and Brayden follow the sound of Rixton's voice where he and Kevin are to find a head and two hands in the freezer in ziplock bags.

"So, this is the guy you got the witness statement from?" Kenny asks Kim.

"Russell Tillman? He was white"

"Well, Sarg, all these magazines are subscriptions to a John Gleason, but they're sent to this address" Kevin says.

"Yeah, these utility bills are in John Gleason's name, but there's other mail here, too, going to Russell Tillman. This is a pay stub from the parks department" Jay says.

"Maybe they were roommates that had a falling out" Al says. Erin picks up a glass and scoffs, saying, "All this food here is fresh. It's like goldilocks just left"

"Yeah, maybe not" Hank says, looking at all the dishes in the sink, "Erin, get these plates to forensics for prints. You're gonna go to bed down here. I want eyes inside and outside. If Tillman doesn't know we're onto him, he just might come home"

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After Al and Kim capture Tillman, they bring him in, so Hank and Jay can question him. And after some convincing, Tillman confesses to killing Zoey.

Sam walks over to Erin who is at her desk and says, "We're good right? Ya know, for the whole Jimmy thing"

Erin nods her head and says, "We're good, Sammy. Promise. I guess I just wanted to live in a fantasy world for a little while. I guess I'm never going to know who my real father is"

"I'll help you find him" Sam says, reassuring her sister.

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"Come on, baby. Walk to mama" Sam says, sitting on the floor, with her arms out, while a smiling Jay is standing behind his daughter, helping her stand up by her hands, who is already smiling and giggling, "Come on, silly girl"

Jay lets go of Gracie's hands, who slowly, takes small steps towards Sam, who says, "Come on, baby. You're almost there"

Halfway to her mother, Gracie falls to her butt, and her bottom lip whimpers, indicating, she was about to cry. Sam chuckles and says, "Oh baby" crawling over to her daughter and bringing her into her arms, "It's okay"

"She only did about five steps, but she friggin' did it" Jay smiles. Sam stands up with Gracie in her arms and leans in to kiss her fiancée and says, "She really did" then she kisses her daughter on her chubby cheek and says, "Stop growing up will you?"

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"Bu y'all feel what I'm saying, right? I get it. I understand. But, listen, you don't gotta look at me like that. I've run from cops before. It's okay" Kevin jokes as he stands on stage at Molly's, when Gabby brings over drinks for Sam, Jay and the kids.

"I just did last week. I was at the 7-eleven, and I was, you know buying stuff for the house. Naturally, that's where black people get our groceries" Kevin jokes and everyone laughs, "I hear the squad car pull up, I heard it pull up. I get terrified. First thing I do is run right out the door, and I'm down the street. Took me about, you know, 30 seconds before I hit myself and said, 'Why the hell am I running? I'm the damn police'" and every starts laughing even harder, "And I didn't do nothing. Man, but one day, one day it ain't gonna be like that. For any of us. I just hope I'm around to see it"

After Kevin finishes his set, Sam and Wyatt walked over to him and the brunette says, "Hey, Kev. Great job"

"Thanks Sam" Kevin smiles, then fist bumps Wyatt, "Hey, bro"

"So, I'll just leave you guys to talk then" Sam says, before slowly backing away back over to Jay who is holding Gracie on his lap, "Hey, where's Denise?"

Jay points behind them and says, "She's over at the bar talking to Gabby"

"She really seems to like Gabby doesn't she?"

"She does"

"Good" Sam smiles, "Now they both have amazing role models"

a/n:

Gabby & Denise // Kevin & Wyatt! Friendships we never knew we needed? 🤷🏼‍♀️💗
Is it weird that there's 11 episodes left already? plus the two bonus episodes with the wedding and what happens with Sam? I mean, Sam is apart of my family now, is that also weird? 🤷🏼‍♀️❤️🥳