Robbery In Progress

*Kelsey*

The next morning I went into work like it was any other day. Joe and Sarah would already be at the precinct to help us find Jason and also their wife and mother respectively. The D.A can't exactly waive their case since it is a felony and was executed very publicly, but their assistance on the case is definitely winning them points. And if we find Samantha to corroborate their stories then I trust they'll be in a good place for their case when it does hit court. Emma was still at the hospital as far as I knew, last night after I dropped my not so small bomb on her, her brother in law and niblings showed up so I took that as my exit. She hasn't attempted to reach out and I continue to tell myself that's because she's with her family who is going through a hard time and it has nothing to do with her feelings, or lack there of, for me.

"Matty!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around him as he sat at his desk. "What have I missed?"

Matty turned and placed the back of his hand to my forehead, "you're chipper. It's weird. Why are you being weird?"

"Well, we have two of our bank robbers in custody and it turns out they're also the third robber's victims and are going to help us find our previously unknown but now identified third robber who happens to be named Jason Roberts. I think that's a good reason to be chipper. So, tell me what's going on." I plopped down in my chair after draping my coat on the back of it.

"SWAT went to the address Joe and Sarah gave us last night. It was vacant but CSI confirms there was definitely people living there recently. Based on prints they estimate they're going to find five or six people lived there. The renting information also lines up with when the robberies moved to New York. The FBI guy is in with Joe and Sarah now to clear up the New Jersey side of things, I guess.

Oh, and Mr. Roberts has got quite the rap sheet. He has to use an alias to rent that property, Mason Schultz was the name he used for that if you were curious. Also, his only living relative is his sister, her name is Rose, she is 19. Currently at Memorial Sloan Kettering Center in Manhattan."

"Isn't that a cancer facility?" My mind was buzzing with all the information he dropped on me, how had all this gotten done before I got here this morning?

"That it is. Not sure on the prognosis, though. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that. Someone has to go talk to her, we were thinking you might be the best choice since you're a woman. And before you say anything, that's not a sexist thing. It's just that FBI guy said that you'll be perceived as less of a threat to her since you're the same gender."

"Okay, what FBI guy? How has all this information gotten here anyway? It would usually take us weeks to get all this info together."

Matty closed the file he was ready from and handed it to me, "yeah that was FBI guy's doing. Apparently he has strings in high places." Matty made a face, "that doesn't sound right. I was stuck between friends in high places and lots of strings to pull and landed on something in the middle. Although, I'm coming around to it now. Strings in high places kind of makes him sound like a puppeteer or something. Should I get that to catch on?"

I slapped the file against his arm, "FBI guy? Focus please."

"Right, he's in the conference room. I think his name was Drew something, I don't know. He said he was going to be taking over for Emma since she's with her sister."

I turned towards the conference room and confirmed, yes there is definitely a man in there. Yes, he does look like an FBI agent. But, he also looks like the man I met in Emma's living room the other day. Well, I guess there's no avoiding this. "I'll go talk to the sister but first I'm going to make a pit stop with the FBI guy," I told Matty before getting up and heading to the conference room.

He looked up when I entered, recognition flashing across his face. "You must be Detective Collins. It's nice to officially meet you." After shaking hands he gestured to the file I was holding, "I see Detective Lawson briefed you?" "Yes, that he did. How did you get all this information so fast?"

"After we had names it became very easy to get my hands on. Though, I think it's important to note that the rate at which information was received would have been the same if Agent Harrison was still here. While she was the liaison for you, we were all working on this case and our resources are equal in reach and efficiency." He was being almost overly professional but since the last time I saw him I was wearing his associate's pajamas I understood why.

"I had no doubt about that, but thank you for saying so anyway. So Matty mentioned you wanted me to talk to the sister, Rose?"

He nodded, "yes. She's family, it's unlikely she would turn on him if she thought he would be in trouble. So by sending a trustworthy face in, you have the best chance of getting any information from her. On top of the trustworthiness, you're also a woman and research tells us she's less likely to perceive you as a threat."

"Okay, but what information am I looking for exactly? Do you think she'll know where he's hiding out?"

"Well, that's certainly possible. But I'm most concerned with the why. None of us commit crimes just to commit them, I mean minus sociopaths and the like, we commit them because we are compelled to for some reason. And until we understand his reason, we won't be able to talk him off his ledge. So, I want you to find the why. What compelled Jason Roberts to rob banks and what is keeping him from stopping?"

"I think I can do that." I honestly didn't think I could, but say it and it shall come true, right?

"I think you can too, do you want to know why?"

"Sure, why?"

He smiled at me, "because I've worked with Emma Harrison for five years. I knew Emma before Sam, during Sam, and after Sam. Twelve months she was a shell of herself, shut down, too afraid to feel. But in...what? A month? I started to see her again, the real her. And I've listened to her calls with Joe. A year away from it and she was still impeccable. Couldn't have done it better myself."

"That wasn't me though, I didn't do anything."

"You didn't? Are you sure?" He was so confident that I almost started to believe it, but I shook my head.

"She won't let me in. She's still too afraid. After yesterday, she ended it."

"I know you aren't trained to notice behavior like we are. Not saying you weren't trained at all, but just that we're specialized for a reason. Rationally, I am sure you've interpreted yesterday's events the way she wanted you to. But behavior doesn't lie." With that he stood, "find the why, Detective. Call me if you need any guidance. The hospital knows you are on your way."