Judgement – A Cry In The Night, Part III (back post)
by Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
::ON::
"Bridget?" Jake's voice came from the comm screen in the living room.
~Crap~ she thought. She was seated on the commode. "Be there in a second!" She hoped her yell would be heard by her son-in-law.
"Bridget? You there?"
"Apparently not," she muttered, moving as quickly as she could. "Don't hang up! I'm coming!" She rushed into the room, folding her robe around herself as she came into view of the screen.
"Okay, here," she was slightly out of breath, and didn't realize she'd stated the obvious.
"The print gave results," Jake started. There was hope in his eyes as he sat back down on the arm of the sofa. "A team is headed to his last known address, looking for associates, running his transport, that kind of thing."
"But how long will that take?" What she implied was: how long did Joel have.
He sighed and the light in his eyes dimmed. "You know the statistics. If we don't hear from him by tomorrow morning with demands..." He couldn't bring himself to say the rest.
"And what if he's already off-planet?" She recalled that in spite of the Federation's efforts, human children were still a desired commodity for collectors and slavers.
"Checking that, too. His print and ID's been sent to the orbital docking stations and transporters. All we can do now is wait. But it's progress."
She nodded. "How's Kylie doing?"
"I think she's asleep right now, but I could check for you."
"Would you?"
"Sure. Be right back."
Jake rose from his perch and Bridget settled herself to wait. She didn't have long, though. A pair of dark pants, slim hips, and crisp white shirt came into view. She knew they didn't match her daughter, though. And it was confirmed as an Asian man sat down on the edge of the coffee table. She estimated him to be in his middle sixties, gray at the temples, but still with a full head of otherwise blue-black hair, neatly trimmed. Intelligent dark eyes and a wide nose were dominant features in his face.
"Mrs. Stapleton, I'm Yong Suk, Jake's sergeant. I want to ask you a few questions."
"Sure," she was mildly surprised by the request.
"Do you recognize the name Donald Morse by any chance? Or would your husband recognize that name?"
"Donald Morse," she repeated, thinking. She dropped her gaze, looking at the floor. It didn't ring a bell, and she said so.
"How about Jason Black?"
That did, and her head snapped up in recognition. "Jason? Well, yeah. That's Edward's old partner. He bought the business when Ed sold it. Uh, they're pilots. Shuttle pilots, from planet-side to the transfers. What's Jase got to do with this?"
"I know what he does for a living, ma'am," the sergeant replied. "May I speak with your husband?"
Her eyes narrowed. Suk hadn't answered her question; pointedly so. "Edward's not home from work yet."
"When will you be expecting him?"
"Well, he should have been home an hour ago," she replied, a prickling sensation at the nape of her neck. Where WAS Ed, anyway?
He pulled a small padd out from his rear pants pocket. "Give me the name of your husband's employer."
"Well sure, but what's this got to do with Ed?"
"His employer please, ma'am."
She sighed in frustration. "He works for the Box Of Delights."
Suk keyed his padd and then looked up at her. "Thank you. I think your daughter would like to speak with you now, Mrs. Stapleton." He didn't wait for a reply, but quickly rose from his seat.
Her brows knit together in confusion. She couldn't understand what just happened, or why. Or --
Kylie sat in front of her, "Hey, Mama."
Compassion and an aching to hold her daughter replaced her previous thoughts. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry, I wish I was there. I could at least be helping you with Sarah."
"It's okay, Mama. They probably wouldn't let you in, even if you were here. They wouldn't let Sissy and Brian come in. And when Brian tried to argue with them, they threatened to arrest him." Sissy was her younger sister, and the two had always been close.
"What about Ricky? Did he try to come over?" Bridget and Edward's oldest child had a reputation for being a bit hot-headed, and an altercation with the police over access to his siblings would be consistent with his impulsive nature.
"No, he was still at work when Sissy and Brian came. I guess they called him to warn him off. You know how he gets sometimes."
"Yeah, I know how he gets." She could expect to be hearing from him anytime soon, to complain. It wouldn't surprise her if he'd already tried to get through to her and found the connection already busy, or planted himself outside City Hall to raise a stink.
"Is Daddy home?" Kylie's question interrupted her thoughts about her son.
"Nope. Should be right away, though."
"Oh," her face clouded a bit further. She was so alike her father, and the two were thick as thieves when together. Kylie had been the biggest opponent to her parents' choice to join Starfleet. "I miss you guys. I wish you were here."
"Me too, Ky. Me too." She tried to smile for her daughter, but just couldn't find one inside to give.
"Well I guess there isn't anything new to say. But we'll let you guys know if--" Jake called her name, somewhere off screen. She listened a few seconds, nodded, and then looked back at her mother. "Jake wants to talk to you again. I'm gonna go lay down." She wiped a tear from off her cheek. "See you."
"Okay sweetie." Bridget watched her daughter rise slowly from the coffee table and wondered idly if that was the best viewscreen seat in the house, and how long it would hold up to that kind of abuse. The thought was so random, it struck her as odd to be thinking it at such a time as this.
"Yeah, we've got some new developments," Jake said, his voice getting louder as his body appeared and he sat before her. "So how well did you guys know Mr. Black? I know we met him at a party once, but that was awhile back."
Her mind flashed to the party he'd mentioned. It was a fundraiser Ed and Jason had put on, for a local charity. "I've known him for twenty years, Jake. And Ed longer than that. I think they went to college together," she replied. "Why? What does Jason have to do with anything?" She asked the same question of her son-in-law, hoping for more information.
"Did you know he'd been incarcerated? Did he ever mention that?"
"Oh gosh. I don't remember. But if he did, it must not have been anything serious. College pranks, maybe. Ed would never have taken him on as a partner, if it had. And I don't ..... he just doesn't seem like a bad guy." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "What did he do?"
"Drugs, child trafficking, and murder. He was an escaped con, whose real name is Julio Martinez."
"What??!!" Bridget's voice went up an octave. "How could we not know that ahead of time? He was vetted before he came to work for Ed. That had to be a dozen years ago."
"He had falsified documents, Bridget. The real Jason Black died as a newborn, three decades ago. Martinez assumed his identity, and because no prints had been ever established for the child, he was able to make it work."
"You said child trafficking." Her brain was slow, catching up to the connection between Jason -- correct that, Julio-- and her grandchild.
"Yeah. He'd been arrested twenty-three years ago on murder charges, and was convicted. He was supposed to serve a life sentence. During the investigation, that's when the other illegal activity came to the surface. He escaped, six years into into it. Authorities have been looking for him ever since."
"God, why Joely? I mean, what does this have to do with you?"
"Because I was working for him, under cover." His voice was soft and he didn't meet her eyes. "It was his print on the swing set."
"You've got to be kidding me! How long did you work for Ja -- Martinez?"
He glanced off to his right and lowered his voice further. "A couple of months. But I didn't know he was the head of the drug smuggling ring until today. I had been hired on by one of his underlings and was working my way up their food chain, but it's a slow crawl and they're tight on security. Somehow they got wind I was a mole. I probably pushed someone too far, asked the wrong question -- I dunno. I walked into an ambush the other night, and barely got out without being killed. The lieutenant pulled me from the case after that."
"And Joel is retaliation." Her tone was flat.
"God, I dunno Bridget. Maybe. Probably." His face blanched and he scrubbed roughly at his eyes with his fists.
TBC...
Ensign Bridget Stapleton
Doctor (General Practitioner)
Main Sickbay, DS5
Other Characters
NPC'd by Charlene
by Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
| Title | A Cry In The Night, Part III (back post) | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton | |
| Posted | Thu Dec 08, 2011 @ 6:40pm | |
| Location | The Stapletons' Quarters | |
| Timeline | SD 39, 22:52 |
"Bridget?" Jake's voice came from the comm screen in the living room.
~Crap~ she thought. She was seated on the commode. "Be there in a second!" She hoped her yell would be heard by her son-in-law.
"Bridget? You there?"
"Apparently not," she muttered, moving as quickly as she could. "Don't hang up! I'm coming!" She rushed into the room, folding her robe around herself as she came into view of the screen.
"Okay, here," she was slightly out of breath, and didn't realize she'd stated the obvious.
"The print gave results," Jake started. There was hope in his eyes as he sat back down on the arm of the sofa. "A team is headed to his last known address, looking for associates, running his transport, that kind of thing."
"But how long will that take?" What she implied was: how long did Joel have.
He sighed and the light in his eyes dimmed. "You know the statistics. If we don't hear from him by tomorrow morning with demands..." He couldn't bring himself to say the rest.
"And what if he's already off-planet?" She recalled that in spite of the Federation's efforts, human children were still a desired commodity for collectors and slavers.
"Checking that, too. His print and ID's been sent to the orbital docking stations and transporters. All we can do now is wait. But it's progress."
She nodded. "How's Kylie doing?"
"I think she's asleep right now, but I could check for you."
"Would you?"
"Sure. Be right back."
Jake rose from his perch and Bridget settled herself to wait. She didn't have long, though. A pair of dark pants, slim hips, and crisp white shirt came into view. She knew they didn't match her daughter, though. And it was confirmed as an Asian man sat down on the edge of the coffee table. She estimated him to be in his middle sixties, gray at the temples, but still with a full head of otherwise blue-black hair, neatly trimmed. Intelligent dark eyes and a wide nose were dominant features in his face.
"Mrs. Stapleton, I'm Yong Suk, Jake's sergeant. I want to ask you a few questions."
"Sure," she was mildly surprised by the request.
"Do you recognize the name Donald Morse by any chance? Or would your husband recognize that name?"
"Donald Morse," she repeated, thinking. She dropped her gaze, looking at the floor. It didn't ring a bell, and she said so.
"How about Jason Black?"
That did, and her head snapped up in recognition. "Jason? Well, yeah. That's Edward's old partner. He bought the business when Ed sold it. Uh, they're pilots. Shuttle pilots, from planet-side to the transfers. What's Jase got to do with this?"
"I know what he does for a living, ma'am," the sergeant replied. "May I speak with your husband?"
Her eyes narrowed. Suk hadn't answered her question; pointedly so. "Edward's not home from work yet."
"When will you be expecting him?"
"Well, he should have been home an hour ago," she replied, a prickling sensation at the nape of her neck. Where WAS Ed, anyway?
He pulled a small padd out from his rear pants pocket. "Give me the name of your husband's employer."
"Well sure, but what's this got to do with Ed?"
"His employer please, ma'am."
She sighed in frustration. "He works for the Box Of Delights."
Suk keyed his padd and then looked up at her. "Thank you. I think your daughter would like to speak with you now, Mrs. Stapleton." He didn't wait for a reply, but quickly rose from his seat.
Her brows knit together in confusion. She couldn't understand what just happened, or why. Or --
Kylie sat in front of her, "Hey, Mama."
Compassion and an aching to hold her daughter replaced her previous thoughts. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry, I wish I was there. I could at least be helping you with Sarah."
"It's okay, Mama. They probably wouldn't let you in, even if you were here. They wouldn't let Sissy and Brian come in. And when Brian tried to argue with them, they threatened to arrest him." Sissy was her younger sister, and the two had always been close.
"What about Ricky? Did he try to come over?" Bridget and Edward's oldest child had a reputation for being a bit hot-headed, and an altercation with the police over access to his siblings would be consistent with his impulsive nature.
"No, he was still at work when Sissy and Brian came. I guess they called him to warn him off. You know how he gets sometimes."
"Yeah, I know how he gets." She could expect to be hearing from him anytime soon, to complain. It wouldn't surprise her if he'd already tried to get through to her and found the connection already busy, or planted himself outside City Hall to raise a stink.
"Is Daddy home?" Kylie's question interrupted her thoughts about her son.
"Nope. Should be right away, though."
"Oh," her face clouded a bit further. She was so alike her father, and the two were thick as thieves when together. Kylie had been the biggest opponent to her parents' choice to join Starfleet. "I miss you guys. I wish you were here."
"Me too, Ky. Me too." She tried to smile for her daughter, but just couldn't find one inside to give.
"Well I guess there isn't anything new to say. But we'll let you guys know if--" Jake called her name, somewhere off screen. She listened a few seconds, nodded, and then looked back at her mother. "Jake wants to talk to you again. I'm gonna go lay down." She wiped a tear from off her cheek. "See you."
"Okay sweetie." Bridget watched her daughter rise slowly from the coffee table and wondered idly if that was the best viewscreen seat in the house, and how long it would hold up to that kind of abuse. The thought was so random, it struck her as odd to be thinking it at such a time as this.
"Yeah, we've got some new developments," Jake said, his voice getting louder as his body appeared and he sat before her. "So how well did you guys know Mr. Black? I know we met him at a party once, but that was awhile back."
Her mind flashed to the party he'd mentioned. It was a fundraiser Ed and Jason had put on, for a local charity. "I've known him for twenty years, Jake. And Ed longer than that. I think they went to college together," she replied. "Why? What does Jason have to do with anything?" She asked the same question of her son-in-law, hoping for more information.
"Did you know he'd been incarcerated? Did he ever mention that?"
"Oh gosh. I don't remember. But if he did, it must not have been anything serious. College pranks, maybe. Ed would never have taken him on as a partner, if it had. And I don't ..... he just doesn't seem like a bad guy." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "What did he do?"
"Drugs, child trafficking, and murder. He was an escaped con, whose real name is Julio Martinez."
"What??!!" Bridget's voice went up an octave. "How could we not know that ahead of time? He was vetted before he came to work for Ed. That had to be a dozen years ago."
"He had falsified documents, Bridget. The real Jason Black died as a newborn, three decades ago. Martinez assumed his identity, and because no prints had been ever established for the child, he was able to make it work."
"You said child trafficking." Her brain was slow, catching up to the connection between Jason -- correct that, Julio-- and her grandchild.
"Yeah. He'd been arrested twenty-three years ago on murder charges, and was convicted. He was supposed to serve a life sentence. During the investigation, that's when the other illegal activity came to the surface. He escaped, six years into into it. Authorities have been looking for him ever since."
"God, why Joely? I mean, what does this have to do with you?"
"Because I was working for him, under cover." His voice was soft and he didn't meet her eyes. "It was his print on the swing set."
"You've got to be kidding me! How long did you work for Ja -- Martinez?"
He glanced off to his right and lowered his voice further. "A couple of months. But I didn't know he was the head of the drug smuggling ring until today. I had been hired on by one of his underlings and was working my way up their food chain, but it's a slow crawl and they're tight on security. Somehow they got wind I was a mole. I probably pushed someone too far, asked the wrong question -- I dunno. I walked into an ambush the other night, and barely got out without being killed. The lieutenant pulled me from the case after that."
"And Joel is retaliation." Her tone was flat.
"God, I dunno Bridget. Maybe. Probably." His face blanched and he scrubbed roughly at his eyes with his fists.
TBC...
Ensign Bridget Stapleton
Doctor (General Practitioner)
Main Sickbay, DS5
Other Characters
NPC'd by Charlene