"So, Officer West, can you tell us what a "friendly" is?" Grey asks West
"Yes, sir. A "friendly" is another term for a Confidential Informant." West answers
"Correct. And Confidential Informants can be an incredibly useful tool." Grey tells him
"They're definitely tools." Tim says while some other officers laugh
"Are you saying you don't use them, Officer Bradford?" Grey asks Tim
"No, sir. Just saying they're lying liars who lie and they need to be dominated, never allowed to think they're in control." TIm says
"Officer Lopez, you agree?" Grey asks me
"No, sir. C.I.'s are most useful when they think they're part of the team." I say
"You're both wrong." Nyla says
"Please, school us, Detective." Grey says
"C.I.'s are just people trying to get by. Some are psychopaths who play ball because it's the best available option, some are people in over their heads who cling to you desperately as a way out of trouble. Treating them all the same is a mistake." Nyla says
"Well, it's time to put these theories to the test. Nolan, Chen, part of the second phase of your training is developing your first C.I. See, you've known this day was coming, so I'm confident that you have a plan of action in place. But be forewarned -- you will be evaluated on the arrests generated by your C.I., as well as their long-term viability. So, choose wisely. Alright, that's it. Be safe." Grey says
"Sir, you have to let West participate." I say
"Do I?" Grey asks me
"You've read my daily evals. His work is as strong as it's ever been, and this opportunity to prove that he's ready to move on." I tell him
"It's a big swing, Officer West. Screw it up, it's likely to be the last nail. You sure you want to take that chance?" Grey asks
"Yes, sir." West says
"Alright. You're in. Good?" Grey asks
"Thank you, sir." West says and he looks at me grinning ear to ear
"You are the greatest T.O. in the history of T.O.'s." West says
****
West gets our gear from the Kit Room Counter, and they walk away.
"Here you go." The officer says
"You got a choice to make -- be conservative or be bold. Tim's gonna make sure Lucy bags a work horse for her first C.I. Nothing flashy." I say
"And Harper?" West asks
"My guess is she'll let Nolan drive it -- sink or swim on his own." I say and we enter through the sliding glass doors into the sally port
"You think we should go big." West asks
"It's the riskiest move, but the one that will get you into short sleeves quicker. But a big fish takes time, and if you fail to recruit him, you run the real risk of hitting the week's end without someone." I say and West sighs and finished loading our gear into our shop
"And Grey'll bounce me for sure. Screw it. Let's go for it." West says
"That's the spirit." I tell him
"You got a candidate?" West asks me
"Yeah. A guy the Feds use, but you should hit an ATM on the way over. This guy's not cheap." I tell him and we return to the Kit room counter where Nolan is talking to Detective Nick Armstrong
"Hey, Nick. Heading home?" Nolan asks
"My bed awaits. I just had an armed robbery suspect in the box all night. I'm fried. How're you?" Armstrong asks
"I just found out my son got engaged." Nolan says
"Whoa. I-Isn't he, like, 12?" Armstrong asks
"20" Nolan says
"Right. You like the girl?" Armstrong asks
"Abigail. She seems very sweet. Just met her for the first time this morning. Also 20." Nolan says
"You run her through the system?" Armstrong asks
"A background check? No, it's against the rules, and it's just...wrong." Nolan says
"If it were me, I'd want to know. See you tomorrow. Well, technically tonight." Armstrong says
"Right." Nolan says
"Here you go." The Kit Officer says
"Oh." Nolan says
****
West and I are standing directly behind Walter Hickey playing golf and he tees off his shot.
"Damn it!" Hickey says
"So, I was thinking we could start small, see what type of intel you have." West says and Hickey turns to face me and West
"Hold your roll, Officer. The only reason I'm talking to you is because you paid my greens' fee. Truth is, I work exclusively with the Feds. They pay way better than the LAPD. 100 grand last year for intel on nine high-profile felonies. Now, you gonna match that?" Walter asks
"While the LAPD can't beat that kind of number, your FBI handler isn't gonna give you the kind of personal attention that I will." West tells him
"He offering massages?" Walter asks
"There's gotta to be something or someone that's bothering you." I say
"My ex-wife is screwing this Pakistani guy. Owns a used car dealership on Van Nuys -- definitely moving stolen cars." Walter says
"And why do you care?" West asks him
"My ex torched all my Armani suits on the way out. So, you take something she cares about away from her... I'll play ball." Walter says and I nod to West and we walk away while Hickey returns to his golf cart
****
I join West after he finishes locking up someone.
"Six stolen cars. Grey's gonna be impressed, but we still need to get Hickey officially signed up." I tell West
"On it." West says and gets his phone out calling Hickey
"Mr. Hickey, it's Officer West. Your intel was spot-on. We've impounded six stolen vehicles and arrested Mr. Fawad Chandio." West says
"So, it means you're on board?" West after a minute
"Great. We'll just need you to come into the station and fill out some paperwork." West says and then hangs up
****
At the Mid-wilshire station West and I are walking down the stairs to the bullpen area.
"Am I crazy, or was that way too easy?" West asks me
"It was a little easy. On the other hand, you showed Hickey that you can get things done." I answer him
West and I reached the bottom of the stairs and as we turn to the bullpen area, we see Grey standing outside of his office not looking happy.
"Lopez, West, my office." Grey says to us and as we enter Special agent Bird is sitting on Grey's desk concluding a phone call
"I'm gonna call you back." Special agent Bird said on the phone
"So, this is Special Agent Wyck Bird from the FBI. He says you're trying to poach his informant." Grey says and Bird is facing West and I not looking happy either
"Wait, sir, I-I can explain." West says
"Save your breath. Hickey's mine. Guy's a clearing house of high-value intel. Bureau doesn't need the LAPD messing with our meal ticket." Bird tells us
"I didn't know informants came with exclusive rights." I say
"Now you do." Bird says
"He called you to get us to back off." I say
"And he used us to do him a solid. Now he's kicking us to the curb." West said
"He said you were hassling him. Stop hassling him. Or else. Sergeant." Bird says
"Special Agent." Grey says to Bird and then Bird leaves
"Sir â" West was saying when Grey interrupted him
"Save it. I told you what would happen if you swung and missed. You're dismissed." Grey said and we left
****
I am sitting at a desk in the bullpen area when West approaches from behind me.
"You know what? Screw the FBI. I'm gonna flip Hickey, take him away from the Feds, and show Grey that he's wrong about me." West says
"That's a really bad idea... but I love it." I tell him
"Yes." West said whispering
"How you gonna pull it off?" I ask him
"Okay, I-I stopped by the men's detention center on the way in, spoke to Chandio, and it turns out he's not sleeping with Hickey's ex-wife. He's never even met her." West says
"So, Hickey had another reason to torpedo the stolen car ring." I say starting to understand what West was saying
"Exactly. So, we find out what that is, and we can use to leverage Hickey." West says and we leave and go back to the Golf course
****
West and I have returned back to the golf course and quickly find Hickey again. West then coughs the alert Hickey of our presence messing up his shot.
"Son of a... Didn't someone from the FBI call and talk to you guys? I'm already taken." Hickey says to us
"Yeah, about that." I say and let West talk
"After we swept up those stolen cars and shut down that dealership..." West says
"And learned that you were lying about the owner sleeping with your ex..." I say with a little smile to my face
"It got us thinking. So we did some digging, and it seems you paid a visit to a few businesses in that neighborhood yesterday evening." West says
"Tried to use our show of force as means to extort some hardworking men and women." I say and Hickey has been walking to his golf cart and sits down with a sigh
"We've got you on extortion. We own you. So, call the FBI and let them know that you are booked for the foreseeable future." West tells him
"Okay. Alright, sure. But I need to know how much you're gonna pay for tips." Hickey says
"That's a fair question." West says
"Totally. The answer is..." I start and me and West look at each other
"Zero." West and I both say
****
West and I returned to the precinct and are joined by Nolan and Chen when Grey comes out of his office to talk to West
'West. Nolan, Chen, don't wander off. Special Agent Bird just called me â" Grey was saying when West cut him off
"Look, Sergeant, it was my decision to pursue Hickey and try and steal him away from the Feds." West says
"Seems like you succeeded from the way Bird was yelling." Grey says
"Yes, sir." West says
"Officer Lopez, is this how you train your rookies? To ignore the orders of federal agents?" Grey asks me
"Sounds about right, sir." I say
"Any day we can remind our federal brethren that we are their equals... is a day worth living. It appears you three successfully recruited your first C.I. s, and I'm impressed. See you tomorrow." Grey says then begins to walk away but stops
"Oh, Officer West? Short sleeves, please." Grey tells West
"Yes, sir." West says
I have a wide grin on my face, while Nolan and Chen came over and congratulate West.
****
A/N
Hey y'all so here's the next chapter I was trying to wait until I had more ready but I don't but here's the reason:
My mom's computer has stopped working for whatever ever reason. I don't know why but it has. I can edit the chapters on Google docs on my school computer but my school computer won't let me get on Wattpad. So, I will edit chapters but I also have to figure out a way to get the edited chapters onto my Wattpad account. So, now I really need you all to bear with me until I figure out how to the edited chapters onto my Wattpad.
But I hope y'all are having a wonderful day and I hope to anyone who celebrates easter that they had a great time. And if you don't celebrate easter I still hope you had a good day and I got eat chocolate.
Also if you have any questions you can either message me privately or just comment on this part so I can answer it.