9
Jude
After a quick meeting with Fitz about the Alice Strickland case, Jude and Ronan were off to Boston to sit down with their old friend Faulkner Hayes.
To be honest, Jude was surprised Fitzgibbon gave them permission to run off and chase this case.
Fitz had supposed there was no sense in starting another case in Salem until the unit’s future was a little clearer.
Ninety minutes and one accident scene later, Ronan parked the Mustang in the BPD parking garage in South Boston. “There’s no place like home.”
“I’ve always loved the vibe of this city,” Jude said. “I just wish people would stop killing each other.”
“I hear that,” Ronan said.
“Cope mentioned that maybe I should go to college if the department is closed. What do you think?” Jude asked. On the one hand, he wanted Ronan’s opinion, on the other he was afraid to bring the subject up at all.
“Ten mentioned something similar to me this morning. He talked about taking a job as a training instructor at the police academy or something that would take me out of the line of fire. I’d still be working toward my pension in Salem if I worked for their academy.
” Ronan sighed. “Just between the two of us, I don’t think I’m cut out to be on the street anymore.
I’m over forty. I’ve got two kids at home who need me.
The idea of getting shot at again and working crazy hours doesn’t appeal at all. ”
Jude nodded. “I feel the same way.”
“I think Fitz does too,” Ronan said, as the elevator opened on the third floor. “We’ll finish this chat later.”
Nodding Jude followed Ronan to Faulk’s office, which, once upon a time, had been Fitzgibbon’s home away from home.
Ronan popped his head into Faulk’s office. “Hey, man!”
“Ronan! Jude!” Faulk got up from his seat and gave both detectives a hug. He shut the door behind them and ushered them into the chairs in front of his desk.
“If I had a nickel for every time Fitzgibbon chewed my ass while I sat in this chair, we wouldn’t have to worry about cold case being shut down.”
“I still don’t understand what the hell the mayor is thinking.
” Faulk shook his head. “I know everything is political lately and with only a few weeks until the next election, I think this is a bad move. It’s a bad move anyway, but when you solve the unsolvable cases, they’re front page news.
You guys are interviewed on the news and your pictures are in the paper.
The officers in vice don’t get that same kind of star treatment.
I think we’re going to see some public outcry about this if the decision goes against you guys. ”
“Fitz thinks so too. He has a plan, but let’s face it, if the mayor decides to axe the department, it could take an act of god to get it started again. Hell, we needed a grant from the governor to get it rolling in the first place.”
“If memory serves, doesn’t Jude have a friendly relationship with the governor and her second in command.” Faulk waggled his eyebrows.
Jude grinned. “We got along like a house on fire at a fundraiser last year. I don’t know that I have enough of a relationship to prevail upon her to step in and extend the grant or to fund our department with state money. I’ll keep that suggestion in mind if the tide starts to turn against us.”
“I’ll do anything I can to help too. Just between us, I would love to get the two of you on my payroll. I’ve added a lot of young guys to the team who could benefit from the kind of experience the two of you have.” Faulk looked back and forth between them.
“Ten mentioned something about teaching at the academy if worse came to worst, so I’ll keep that idea in mind.”
“The two of you, plus Fitz, are the pre-eminent cold case experts in the state. If you guys started a teaching program, I’m sure you’d be booked solid.
” Faulk grinned and tapped a file on his desk.
“Onto the reason the two of you are here. I spoke with Malcolm Proctor, the chief of the Cambridge Police Department. When I mentioned the Alice Strickland case, he didn’t know what the hell I was talking about.
To be honest, I was pretty disappointed that the chief was unaware of a fifteen year old homicide. ”
“No wonder West has lost all confidence in the department to solve his mother’s murder.
” Jude felt sorry for the young man. He’d feel a lot more sorry if he didn’t have Jude’s fate in the palm of his hand, but he understood how frustrating it must be for there to have been no movement on his mother’s case in fifteen years.
Faulk nodded. “The good news is that the chief knows who you are and how good you are at your jobs. Proctor remembered working on a case with you several years ago, Ronan, and has never forgotten your drive to solve that case and what a fun detective you were to work with.”
“He must have caught me on one of the rare days where I wasn’t an asshole.”
“When the hell do those days come around?” Jude asked.
“Every leap year, so you’re out of luck until 2028.” Ronan laughed.
“Proctor is confident the two of you can move this investigation along, if not solve it outright.” Faulk tapped a finger on his desk.
“He was so confident, in fact, that he had the case file couriered over this morning.” Faulk pointed to two bank boxes sitting at the back of his office.
“The case is yours to work. You’ll be issued provisional badges from the Cambridge Police Department, so you’ll need to stop by the 6th Street precinct house to get them and meet with Chief Proctor.
You’re welcome to use our third floor conference room to work out of.
Just make sure to mention me during your press conference when you solve this case. ”
“Thanks, Faulk. We’ll get right on this.”
“I’ll do what I can to make sure the unit stays together. After all, I’m a citizen of Salem too. So is my husband, and our girls.”
Ronan got out of his seat and grabbed one of the file boxes. Jude grabbed the other. “Thanks, Faulk. We owe you one.”
“Yeah, you do. I seem to remember Ten making one hell of a pot roast.”
Ronan laughed. “We’ll be sure to invite you over for dinner. I know Everly would love to see Macy and Isla.”
“Good luck!” Faulk called as they walked out the door.
“Let’s head to Cambridge and then back to Salem,” Jude said. “I want to be home when Wolf and Lizzie get off the bus.”
“Me too,” Ronan agreed. “You know, this could be the start of something new. Offering our services to other departments to help solve these kinds of cases.”
Jude nodded. He wasn’t too keen on the idea of the travel that would be involved. Hell, the ride into Boston was too long. When did Jude get so old? So settled?
The happy work/life balance he’d achieved had spoiled him.
The cold case team set their own hours and picked which cases they accepted and which to leave on the shelf for the time being.
If they couldn’t manage to keep the unit funded, there were going to be some major life changes in store for Jude and the rest of their family.
Changes Jude wasn’t sure he was up to facing.
One thing was for certain, if the Alice Strickland case was the last one he worked with Ronan, Jude planned to go out with a bang.