Robbery In Progress

*Kelsey*

I had to be across town meeting Matty at 6 am. *Sharp*.

Yet I was still laying in bed staring at my ceiling. Reaching over to grab my phone, I checked the time. *05:17*

If I was going to make it on time I would have to leave at 05:45 at the latest. That gave me 28 minutes to get up and get ready. And yet, here I sat. Contemplating my entire understanding of the world around me. How could I be a good cop if my motivation for being in law enforcement is completely wrong? And has my black and white view been an active participant in problems with police these days? Have I allowed my understanding of what police should be blind me to what we are? And therefore contributed to police brutality and it's underlying racism?

Am I a terrible person?

Am I spiraling?

Definite yes to the spiraling.

I'm going to give a solid maybe to the terrible person question. My inaction may have been part of the problem, but now I'm aware of that inaction and I feel like that means I'm only a terrible person if I continue to remain inactive after my realization.

Or maybe I'm rationalizing because any other interpretation means I'm a terrible person and that feels yucky. *05:24*

With a big sigh, I rolled myself off my bed and headed towards the shower. I seriously needed to get moving, regardless of any possible quarter-life crisis. I mean, I hadn't even gotten to the part about Emma, I'm still in the early chapters of self-doubt and questioning life choices.

Just as I was wrapping a towel around myself my phone started to ring--Matty.

"Yes?"

"You better be up and on your way because visiting hours start in 31 minutes." That was Matty's greeting, apparently. He could be nicer to me considering he sparked this whole stupid thing. Although, that might be too much to ask for at the point considering I'm a terrible person.

Well, that was still sitting on a maybe. But *still* might be too much.

"I am up and I will be on my way soon. Promise," I replied as I shimmied into my dress pants, my phone sitting on speaker in the bathroom still.

"Good." There was a pause on his end, "and uh, sorry about what I said last night. I'm not saying I was wrong, just that I'm sorry it came out like that. I probably could have handled it better."

"You may have caused me to question my life's work," I confirmed. "But!" I added when he sighed heavily, "I'm glad you called me out on it. We need to be able to do that. Call each other out, hold each other responsible. Not just you and me but everyone on the force. You're right, it's just black and white. It's messy and complex and I need to do a better job of holding myself accountable.

My motivation was wrong. But I'm working on realigning it."

"Sounds like you really did listen to what I said. I didn't think you did that." He was teasing to lighten the mood back up. I let him.

"In one ear and out the other usually." Smiling as I confirmed.

He laughed. "Right then, get off the phone with me and get moving. We've got work to do still."

"Ain't no rest for the wicked', I always say."

"You've never said that a day in your life," Matty countered. By now I was hopping into my shoes and grabbing my badge and gun out of the closet where they were kept in my gun safe. "How would you know? Have you been stalking me?"

"Eyes everywhere," his response noncommittal.

"You're an idiot," I laughed out before ending the call and heading to Memorial Sloan Kettering Center.

*Emma*

"I realize that you have security clearances and protocols to follow. But we have a possible suspect in this airport. Either he was or he is here now. I need access to your cameras so we can verify his location." I felt like I was running in circles with the crew at Fort Myers and it was really starting to give me a headache.

"I don't have the authority to show anyone who is not an employee of this airport with the proper clearances these monitors. That answer is not going to change no matter how many times you lay this out."

I gritted my teeth then took a deep breath. I negotiated with people on their worst day in the middle of doing the worst things who are generally incapable of seeing an out to their situation. And yet here was this security, uh, person--what do they call them? Doesn't matter--this security person is rolling over me like I'm nothing. What is happening?

"Okay, how many times do I have to say I am FBI and I have a warrant to look at these tapes? A judge authorized me for you. There is no scenario here where you're going to get in trouble for showing me your cameras. But there's a few scenarios where you could get in trouble for *not* showing them to me. I could start with obstruction of justice and go from there. How does that sound?"

I could see her start to fragment under that so I took a step closer, warrant in hand. "The tapes, please. Fast as you can."

A few minutes passed before the staring contest ended--I won if you were curious, I know you were--and she allowed me to enter the security room. After thanking her, I jumped right into it.

"We know for certain that the suspect was in New York until Thursday around 1600, a traffic cam picked him up leaving the city at that time. We haven't gotten a hit on any other traffic cams since that one so either he is an idiot who realized big brother is everywhere and hid in the back of the van for the rest of the trip, or he is not an idiot and he wanted us to know when he left town. Regardless of the reason, that helps us narrow down flight options.

"With good traffic he could have made it here around 10am. Two flights happened between then and now that he could have been on. Three flights are happening in the next few hours that he could be on if he hasn't left already." I was quick to explain, and though she was pouting a little bit she was also quick to pull up the information I requested which was a blessing.

"Okay, I didn't see him on either of the flights that have already happened. Good sign, that means we still have time. Could you run through the passport pictures of all the people that have checked in for these flights and see what turns up?" I pointed to the three remaining flight numbers on the piece of paper Drew had written them on for me. While I was working with security on locating our guy, he was working with TSA agents to help prepare for what could happen if we find him.

I really hope that Kelsey and Matty are doing well with Rose because I have a feeling we are going to need whatever they can give us and soon.