"Nadia!"
Chapter Twenty Five: The Devil Went Down to Georgia.
2x21: There's My Girl

Nadia was dead, Yates kidnapped her and took her all the way back to New York, where he raped her and dumped her body into a beach in a trash bag. Becklean and Erin loved Nadia, they had always been the kinda people who took someone out when they were feeling a bit low.

Or who danced it out when they were feeling sad and didn't want to leave, Becklean always wanted a little sister. Her oldest was a mess and she and Erin were the same age even though Erin liked to say she was the oldest cause her birthday was a few months before Becklean's. She loved talking with Nadia and taking her out places, sometimes she would randomly pop by her place and take her shopping or stock her fridge.

But when they found her body like that, discarded like trash, left for dead in the cold, Becklean hated herself, she hated that she wants there, that she couldt protect Nadia, she couldn't help but think that maybe she would be here laughing right now that they would be sharing a poptart and teasing Rusek.

It had been a little over a month or two since she passed and she was still going through the motions, her therapist said to deal with grief she had to admit it happened face it head on and by going to work and being there, that was how she could start.

Becklean watches as all the men in the office are clearing Nadia's Desk, Antonio rubs her back, as Erin enters.

"Damn."

" Yeah. We're all feelin' it."

"Girl was going places, man." Kevin comments as Becklean just sniffles, she was trying her best not to cry.

" Hey. Go grab some coffee. We got this." Jay instructs Erin who looks at her sister, she was a mess but she was talking, saying her feelings which was a lot for Becklean, it was new, but Nadia always told her that talking about how you felt didn't make you weak it made you strong and it also helped.

" It's just a desk, right?" Erin comments as Becklean just rolls her eyes her sister was being stubborn and it was pissing her off they had gotten into so many arguments since Nadia died. Jay sends and looks at Becklean before she nods and Antonio rubs her shoulders.

Jay walks over to Erin and talks with her, leaving Becklean with the others.

" Anybody we should be sending her stuff to?"

" Uh... her dad's in Indianapolis. I'll make sure and get it to him." Erin replies as Becklean nods.

"All right, Fischer just called. Needs us in Tri-Taylor." Everyone nods before moving around the room to grab their coats. This had been the first case since Nadia died and things were still numb.

//

They were called to a suspected Bombing, which wasnt fun, they arrived ar the scene where chaos was already happening. People were injured, a triage tent was set up, body parts were strewn around in different places. The others arrived back from the scene after an hour to debrief everyone .

"K-Trick... otherwise known as Kenny T. Reevis. He's a gangster Disciple. Not on top of the pyramid, but he's got some corners."

" Brought up on racketeering charges twice, but the cases fell through when the witnesses dropped the charges." Becklean explains, O just stares at her, her face was bare of makeup she looked tired and sad all at the same time.

"Finally got the analysis on the IED back from bomb Unit. Whoever built it used a pressure cooker. They filled it with nails, screws, glass, some small-grade explosive."

" I think that's the same kind those guys used for the Boston Marathon bomb." Atwater says as Mouse nods in agreement.

" Yeah, see, you hook it up to a cell phone, and ka-blammo... the shrapnel projects out, shreds everything in its path. It's nasty, nasty stuff."

" Halstead's working on a witness. Little girl lives across the street. Her mom shut it down the first time, but he's gonna go at her again, so..." Rusek explains.

" No other witnesses?"

O Shakes his head. " None willing to talk. No security cameras in the cafe."

" All right, Mouse, run the victim for domestic disputes, orders of protection... make sure none of them was the intended target. The rest of you get a bead on Reevis."

Becklean went for a ride along with Rusek to talk to K-trick. They pile out of the car Rusek let her drive and she adjust the coat on her body tighter as they approach the playground in silence.

" You can do the talking." she says, pulling her hood over her head. They approach a bench where a K trick is sitting.

"Kenny Reevis?"

" Yeah."

" Why don't we go for a ride, man?"

" I'm watching my son here." the guy kisses his teeth

" Well, is that his aunt, his nanny? I'm sure he's fine."

" Aunt. But I only got him four days out of the month, so if you got something to ask me, you ask me here." he says with an attitude this entire conversation was already pissing Becklean off not to mention just being outside was making her mad.

"No. We gotta talk down at the district, pal."

" I ain't going anywhere unless you got an arrest warrant. You hear me?" K trick mutters as Risek just sips his coffee he looks at Becklean.

She steps up to K-trick. " You picked the wrong cop on the wrong day. I will slap bracelets on you and drag you outta here in front of your son. You hear me? Get on your feet." K-trick doesn't budge. "Now!" she yells and he jumps a bit which causes Rusek to smirk.

" Stacey! Keep an eye on Jackson. I'll be back."

//

Becklean was annoyed they hauled Kenny's ass into interrogation and Becklean was still shivering from the cold. Rusek offered her his sweater and she took it, having it fit like an oversized dress on her. She felt like a child wearing her mom's clothes. She sits across from Kenny eyeballing him, she would rather be anywhere than here, matter of fact she would rather be curled up in a ball in her bed with the tv drowning on in the background and her room a complete and utter mess of clothes and food and sadness. Scrolling through all the pictures of her and Nadia and Erin and hating how her stomach curls when she pictures the sight of her dead body wrapped in that trash bag.

She threw up every chance she thought about it, it made her physically ill. How could he do something so foul and terrible to someone so amazing and genuine and innocent. Someone who actually didn't do anything to him in the first place. She hated herself for not being there that night, maybe if she was there she could've put up a good fight for the both of them? Maybe Nadia would still be here and she wouldn't have the urge to take her gun and blow her own brains out? Maybe it could have bought her more time? Maybe just maybe?

" You know why Teddy Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace prize? Russia and Japan were getting into it, and Teddy was like, "I gotta sit these fools down before they blow each other up." He also knew, to make it stick, both countries needed to feel like they won something. That's how I operate. Brahmer and I... we had a nice deal. He kicked me down a little cash, and I'd watch out for him. He misses a payment, and I blow up his restaurant and kill a bunch of people? That ain't win-win. That ain't me. Ask around."

" We did. We know you demolished his car and told him he was gonna regret not paying you two days ago." Becklean just shrugs.

" And you're gonna try and convince me that those are actions that are even in the same universe as blowing up a building?"

" I don't need to convince you. Prosecuting attorney just needs to convince a jury." she continues as Rusek stands behind her watching Kenny's expressions.

" Kenny, let's say it wasn't you, right? You were born and raised in the neighborhood."

" Damn straight."

"You probably didn't like getting pushed out." Rusek takes a seat in the chair next to Becklean.

" You ever lose your neighborhood to a bunch of rich people?"

"Why didn't you leave?" Rusek shrugs.

" 'Cause it's my block!"

" Okay, so it's your block... You know who blew up the cafe. Give us a name. We get help with the case. You get off without a murder charge. That's a win-win situation, baby."

" Nobody I know." Kenny smirks and shrugs as the two leave the room Voight leaves the viewing room.

" Hey. Send a photo of Reevis over to Halstead. See if he can get it in front of his witness."

" Yeah." Rusek says walking off.

" Becklean.. How you holding up?"

" I'm fine. I just wish everyone would stop asking me." her jaw was tightened.

" I'm not everyone."

Becklean can feel her eyes filling with Tears. Voight sighs and hugs her. " I miss her so much. I didnt realize how much I would miss her until she was gone." Voight patts her on the head.

"You have the right to feel this way, so I am going to tell you what I told Erin. Don't let this turn into a banana peel for you, and I think you know what I'm talking about. Come too far. Okay?" he asks, lifting her face up with his finger, she nods.

" I hear you." She straightens up, wipes her face and acts like nothing happened.

//

It had been a day since everything and they got a lead from the eye witness  that Jay went to talk too. A guy by the name of Sam Carden. Everyone went by his house and Rusek and Atwater went inside along with the landlord and his parol officer.

"Just keep an eye out for Carden."

" Copy that... we got eyes on the front entrance."Becklean replies into her radio.

" I still can't believe you let me drive."

" It's my gift. Well, it's... from Nadia. I told her how you said you feel like a house husband riding shot gun all the time. And she got all righteous and she goes, "Bexs, you need to let him drive a little." Becklean and Jay laugh.

"You know what we need? A Kuma's night. Black Sabbath burgers. That was Nadia's spot, right?"

"Yeah." Becklean fights the tears hard. She had been doing that alot lately. At least she was saying how she felt unlike Erin who was bottling it up and avoiding her hints why it was just her and Jay partnered up.

"Thats Carden." Jay says as the two get out,

"Carden sees the two approaching and takes off running. Jay follows after him and Becklean gets back into the car deciding to follow them she makes it to any alley where Jay is.

"5021 George, I got a carjacked red pickup truck heading north on the 7100 block of Paulina." Jay says into the radio, before climbing into the passenger seat, they follow after the stolen truck dodging through traffic.

"Halstead, location."

" On Lake. We'll cut him off at Ashland."

After chasing him down and he flees the truck Jay and Antonio get him cuffed and Antonio huffs over to Becklean who was waiting by the cars.

"What happened to you back there, Flash?"

'"You had it." she shrugs getting back into the car, Antonio just sighs out of breath.

//

Antonio and Jay dragged Carden into Interrogation where Kevin and Antonio went to tlak with him, Antonio re-entered the bullpen a few minutes later.

" Carden didn't have a burner phone. He didn't call anybody from that apartment except his parole officer. Never even wrote a letter."

" We should have his call records from Stateville any minute."

" Thanks for the phone call. That was Chicago Med. Elizabeth Brahmer just passed away." Rusek explains as everyone sighs. Kevin walks in from interrogation.

" What's up with Carden?"

" Giving him five minutes to weigh his options. I think he's gonna go." Kevin says as everyone shrugs.

" Sam Carden did a couple days' work with Melvin's Electric which does all the wiring in Norcross's buildings." O explains.

"A few months ago, Graham Norcross asked the County Assessors for an updated property value estimate on the Brahmers' cafe. It turns out the land is worth four times what it was when he bought it. "

"The Brahmers have a ten-year lease. So if Norcross wanted 'em out... he'd either have to cut 'em a check or make them leave." Erin explains.

" So you hire someone who says they can scare them out, but the device over-delivers."

"Maybe Norcross had Carden do the electrical fire up the block too." Becklean suggest as everyone nods.

" Let's ask him." Voight says as he goes down to the interrogation room to ask, only Carden is bleeding from his neck. One minute everything is fine and the next Becklean is holding a sweater to Carden's neck.

"Ambo's two minutes out." Rusek explains as Antonio, Voight, Kev, Erin and He are standing in the doorway,

"Guys, he's not gonna make it." Becklean says.

" Who the hell left the can in here?" Voight asks as Atwater opens and closes his mouth,

After a while Becklean emerges from the room with her hands covered in blood. There was a bit of it on her forehead as well. The paramedics are wheeling out Carden's dead body and Voight  follows them. Antonio and O bring Norcoss in. Mouse finds out that Mason Brahmer is the owner of the cafe and that he used Mason Brahmer as a cover name his real name is Ross Montag. He had a wife die eight years ago in a car fire in Portland.

Long story short Mason, Ross or whoever he was truly was a shitty person, he hired Sam Carden to plant that bomb only it got out of hand too many people got hurt and all because he wanted insurance money the same with his wife in Portland.

" All right, I'll notify the wife's family. That's always a fun call."

" I'll call Portland PD." Jay says as Erin nods.

" It's gonna be such a punch in the gut after all these years." Rusek says

" The family deserves to know what happened to their daughter."

" Atwater. My office."

Voight bumped Atwater Down to patrol and Burgess was filling in his spot til the investigation on Carden's suicide was up.   Downstairs everyone was looking at the memorial for Nadia.

" It turned out real nice, Roman. Thanks."

" Course." Roman nods.

" The, uh... Deputy Chief sent this over. I figured I'd share it" Erin stands in front of the stone. " "Ms. Nadia Decotis, this letter is to commend you on being accepted as a recruit to the Chicago Police Department." She would have made a hell of a cop. Certainly one of the bravest."

Everyone stays there for a another second admiring the Memorial Plack for Nadia, before deciding to go there own ways, collect their things, Jay passes by Erin in the hall on the way to the locker room, he tells her about everyone going to Molly's she says she'll try to make it and he walks into the locker room, as Becklean walks out of the bathroom, they meet eyes for a second before she feels herself losing control of all of the world around her, stumbling around like a drunk person.

Jay catches her and she cries simply as if this entire time she was fighting with herself and she lost the battle. She sobs harder and harder, feeling that pit grow in her stomach. She hated herself so much, she couldn't stand to stare at the woman in the mirror anymore, she wanted to rip her eyeballs out of her head.

"Shh Im here," he soothes her, placing her head on his chest, taking in her pina colada shampoo, at least she was washing her hair.

"It's my fault and I am sorry Nadia I'm sorry." Jay's eyes filled up with tears just from her words, the fact that she was walking around blaming herself hurt him, more than anything else in the world.

"Don't you say that, You hear me, Dont." He just pulls her close, the two taking comfort in each other's company.

Word count: 2800