Chapter 106 Legal Proceedings
DETECTIVE ROURKE'S POV
The precinct was buzzing. Phones are ringing off the hook. Officers running around with files and evidence boxes. We had been working around the clock for the past week processing everything from the Hayes raid. And it was paying off.
I was in my office going through the latest arrest reports when Captain Morrison walked in.
"Rourke," he said. "We just picked up Hayes's accountant. Guy sang like a bird."
"What did he give us?" I asked.
"Everything," Morrison said. "Bank accounts. Shell companies. Money laundering operations. Names of everyone on the payroll."
"Including the dirty cops?" I asked.
"Especially the dirty cops," Morrison said. He handed me a file. "Six officers. Two detectives. All on Hayes's payroll."
I opened the file and looked at the names. Some I knew. Some I had worked with. It made me sick.
"Internal affairs is handling it?" I asked.
"Yeah," Morrison said. "They are bringing them in today. Making arrests."
"Good," I said. "Get them out of our department."
"There is more," Morrison said. "The accountant also gave us names of politicians. Judges. City officials. All corrupt. All are taking money from Hayes."
"How many?" I asked.
"Fifteen so far," Morrison said. "Could be more. We are still going through the records."
"This is bigger than we thought," I said. "This goes all the way to the top."
"Yeah," Morrison said. "Hayes had his fingers in everything. Police. Courts. City hall. It is going to take months to clean this up."
"But we are cleaning it up," I said. "That is what matters."
Morrison nodded. "You did good work Rourke. You worked on this case. Five years and you never gave up."
"I could not give up," I said. "Too many people were getting hurt. Too many lives were being destroyed."
"Well it is over now," Morrison said. "Hayes is dead. His organization is falling apart. Justice is being served."
"Not over yet," I said. "We still have trials. Still have to make sure everyone goes to prison. Still have to rebuild trust in this department."
"True," Morrison said. "But the hard part is done. The rest is just paperwork and court dates."
He left and I went back to the files. There was so much evidence. So many crimes. So many victims. It was overwhelming. But it was also satisfying. After five years of chasing Hayes, we finally caught up with him. Well, we had his corpse and his entire operation.
My phone rang. It was Officer Martinez.
"Rourke," she said. "We just arrested Councilman Davis. He is asking for his lawyer."
"Good," I said. "Book him. Ensure everything is done by the book. I do not want any technicalities getting these guys off."
"Got it," Martinez said. "Also the DA wants to meet with you. Says she needs to go over the evidence before the grand jury hearing."
"When?" I asked.
"Today at four," Martinez said.
"Okay," I said. "I will be there."
I hung up and looked at the clock. It was already two thirty. I had an hour and a half to prepare. I started gathering files. Organizing evidence. Making notes about which witnesses would testify and what they would say.
There was a knock on my door. It was Detective Leo from vice.
"Rourke," he said. "We just got word that three of Hayes's lieutenants are trying to flee the country. TSA flagged them at the airport."
"Arrest them," I said. "Do not let them get on that plane."
"Already done," Leo said. "They are in custody now. Being transported here for booking."
"Good work," I said.
Leo left and I went back to my files. My phone rang again. This time it was the forensics lab.
"Detective Rourke?" a woman's voice said. "This is Sarah from forensics. We finished processing the evidence from Hayes's office. We found something interesting."
"What is it?" I asked.
"A safe," Sarah said. "Hidden behind a painting. We cracked it open and found documents. Contracts. Agreements. All signed by Hayes and various city officials."
"What kind of agreements?" I asked.
"Bribes mostly," Sarah said. "Payments in exchange for looking the other way. For approving permits. For dismissing cases. It is all documented."
"That is great," I said. "Can you make copies and send them to the DA?"
"Already doing it," Sarah said. "These documents are going to bury a lot of people."
"Good," I said. "That is exactly what we need."
I hung up and leaned back in my chair. This case just kept getting bigger and bigger. Every day we found more evidence. More crimes. More corrupt officials. It was like pulling on a thread and watching the whole sweater unravel.
But that was good. That meant we were doing our jobs. That meant justice was being served.
My computer dinged with an email. It was from the DA's office. A list of charges they were filing. I scrolled through it. Murder. Attempted murder. Kidnapping. Drug trafficking. Money laundering. Racketeering. Bribery. Corruption. The list went on and on.
Hayes would have gotten life in prison. Multiple life sentences probably. Too bad he was dead. But at least his people were going to pay. At least they were going to see the inside of a prison cell.
I thought about Caitlyn. About what she had been through. About how brave she had been. About how she was willing to testify even though it scared her. She deserved justice. She deserved to see these people punished for what they did to her.
And she was going to get it. I was going to make sure of it.
Another knock on my door. This time it was Officer Williams from robbery.
"Rourke," he said. "We just seized Hayes's assets. Houses. Cars. Boats. Bank accounts. Everything. It is all frozen pending the court cases."
"How much?" I asked.
"Fifty million," Williams said. "Maybe more. Guy was loaded."
"Blood money," I said. "Every penny of it."
"Yeah," Williams said. "The DA is going to try to get it awarded to Hayes's victims. Use it for restitution."
"Good," I said. "Those people deserve something after what Hayes put them through."
Williams left and I checked the time. Three fifteen. I needed to leave soon for the meeting with the DA. I grabbed my files and my laptop and headed out.
The DA's office was downtown. A big building with marble floors and fancy paintings on the walls. I took the elevator to the fifth floor and checked in with the receptionist.
"Detective Rourke for District Attorney Walsh," I said.
"She is expecting you," the receptionist said. "Conference room B. Down the hall on your right."
I found the conference room. DA Walsh was already there with two of her assistants. They were reviewing documents and making notes.
"Detective Rourke," Walsh said when I walked in. "Thank you for coming. Please sit."
I sat down and opened my laptop.
"So," Walsh said. "Let me start by saying this is the biggest case I have ever prosecuted. The amount of evidence is staggering. The number of defendants is overwhelming. This is going to take years to sort through."
"But you can make it stick right?" I asked. "You can get convictions?"
"Oh yes," Walsh said. "With the evidence we have, we can get convictions. The recordings alone are enough to put most of these people away for life."