"Commander, this is Weiss," Ben greeted, his eyes still looking down the street where Erin just left.
"*What can I do for you at this late hour?*"
"I made contact with a compromised officer working for the Derian crime family. I believe it is in the LAPD's best interest if I pursue this off the books for now."
"*You know I have faith in your judgement, Ben. But I need a little more. Tell me why,*" Hicks answered after a moment of silence.
"I found this rookie by mere chance. But after some time investigating the recent cases against them, I think there's absolutely no way that this rookie is the only one working for them. The officer confirmed as much. Their organisation has been one step ahead of the LAPD and the FBI for much longer. This rookie was still in high school when it started."
Hicks stayed quiet again.
"*Good arguments, Ben. But IA is the only office required by the California constitution to investigate peace officers. There's a reason they exist,*" Hicks countered and seemed to be looking at something on his computer. "*The Armenian's lucky streak started somewhere around 2013, maybe 2014, not before. I'll give you the choice because you'll take all the consequences that come with it, but I'd prefer us involving Commander West in IA. Known him for a long, long time. West is as straight as they get.*"
Ben pinched the bridge of his nose, remembering the commander from the last time he met the father of the rookie Jackson West. He had a fresh bullet hole in his leg at that time.
"I'll contact West, you're probably right about it. But I reviewed hours of body cam footage. This rookie is promising. They are compassionate and just. I don't want them to lose their chance to make a positive impact on the lives of the people of Los Angeles."
"*How did you get access to the footage?*" Hicks asked incredulously.
"That's something I already brought up with the cyber unit and the commissioner. They'll fix the hole I found later this week. Expect a more secure access process on the server," Ben answered with a small grin.
'Hacking' into the LAPD servers from a seemingly secure LAPD issued device had been way too easy. Using his acquired expertise from his time undercover, he had been snooping around the secure network infrastructure for these kinds of holes during every lunch break. He found plenty already, most of them minor unless you truly had bad intentions.
Cybersecurity had been a topic that was handled much too lax in the detective's opinion, if even someone like him who didn't specialize in hacking originally found so many vulnerabilities with self-taught knowledge.
"*Anything else?*" Hicks inquired with some amusement tinging his voice now.
"Not for now. Do you want to be present when I fill in West?"
"*No. I already said I trust you. But you can do me a favor and be present at my home this Sunday. My daughter Molly is coming to visit and I need a buffer between me and my children. It isn't getting any easier talking to them. I tried reaching out to my son, but even with your tip I still managed to push him away.*"
Ben narrowed his eyes in deep thought. He silently observed the cars passing him by outside the bar as he walked toward his own parked charger. Weighing his words carefully, Ben agreed, "I'll be there. Give me a time and place."
Ben Weiss owed a lot to Commander Hicks. The man spent a lot of his own favors to get Ben ahead at Metro even outside the freshly-minted detective's merits and commendations he got along with the golden ticket that brought him to the division in the first place. It was no secret to anyone at their office that the old commander took a special liking to Ben, seemingly grooming the young man to be his successor or right hand at the very least.
And with his wife Barbara dying somewhat recently after a prolonged battle with cancer, Robert Hicks had a very hard time talking to his children. His daughter was off studying law and kept things cordial, but their relationship still cooled thanks to the distance. His son on the other hand was an addict and resented the aged policeman for his mother's fate, long absence through work, and general lack of emotional support. Hicks was a 'man's man' who didn't really get in touch with his feelings. Hating his father therefore came easy to the boy.
It had been his late wife Barbara who glued the family together and played the emotional pillar for all three surviving members of the family. The policeman didn't know how to step up to do it now that she was gone.
"Let's just hope he won't try to set me up with Molly," Ben whispered under his breath as he started his car once he reached it. Merging with the traffic, Ben started driving home. Overthinking the smallest bits came easy to the man as he mechanically drove home without truly paying attention to the traffic.
Hicks had made a few comments recently about how he wished Molly would find a job in LA now that she achieved her JD degree and passed the bar a year ago. That she didn't have a reason to move back yet, though. And the commander slyly mentioned that she was single after the breakup of Ben and Haley made the rounds at metro during small talk in the kitchen.
But that wasn't where Ben was at right now. He could only hope that the emotionally rigid commander knew not to push his luck.
—————
It was before sunrise as Ben stepped into the office of Commander Percy West, head of Internal Affairs. He had contacted the man and promptly got a demand to join him at 6am the next day.
"You're on time. I figured you would dawdle a little," West commented as he sat at his desk in a pristine uniform and seemingly wide awake. Inviting the detective this early mere seven hours after getting the info had been a test to gauge the seriousness of Ben's handling of this case. It seemed to be an especially precarious matter that the young man stumbled upon - Ben didn't even disclose the full scope of what they would discuss or even the gender of the rookie in question, going as far as using the non-gendered 'they' to describe the situation. That didn't escape West's notice.
"Commander Hicks reinforced my belief that you should be made aware as soon as possible. Coming here before the start of day-shift seems to be perfectly in line with that thought," Ben pointed out with a tight smile and a slightly tired expression. Not being able to spend time with his daughter to get this underway was the real test in his opinion because he came home hours after she went to bed and left before Zofia and Emilia would tend to little Anna who usually woke up around seven.
"Go on then," West invited as he pointed to the chair opposite his desk.
Ben gave a determined nod and began to explain his findings and reservations. West stayed quiet from beginning to end, withholding his questions until after he was finished.
"Not many officers would bother putting this much thought into it," West asserted as he studied the detective's face with his wealth of experience. As much as West was a stickler for the rules, he knew when to be a diplomat with someone who came to him before it was too late. "I've looked into your submitted proposals to the cyber unit. I can't say I am a big fan of you using this loophole you found to study Officer Cole's character, though."
Ben nodded and accepted the critique wordlessly. This was something he was painfully aware of now that he took his findings to IA.
"We here in this department are the only ones vested with the power to investigate our fellow peace officers. Our job is never easy. We are seen as the rats, the bad guys. I don't condone you looking into Officer Cole, but I can at least appreciate you coming to me before doing anything you can't take back," West sounded out with a measured tone of voice as he gestured around his office. With more understanding than what he would usually mete out to other policemen who so blatantly bent the rules, he continued, "Commander Hicks has nothing but praise for you. Your captain does, too. Even Sergeant Grey from Mid-Wilshire cannot stop himself from talking about you in the highest regard. I've known him for decades. That ain't easy for a man like him. And then there's the whole thing where you saved my son Jackson's life in that warzone of a shootout."
Ben nodded and accepted West's deliberations.
"I see your point about limiting this investigation to as small a team as possible," West conceded as he tapped his pen on the notes he had been taking. "If Officer Cole can be believed, and if the facts are as you presented them, we are looking at a very serious breach of our systems. I will assign a team that I trust implicitly to cross-reference all database searches with the turning points in the investigations of the Derian crime family without tipping anybody off."
West didn't comment whether or not they already had an investigation pending. Ben wasn't part of IA. Though, the commander could admit that he thought about inviting Ben to join him.
The detective had a meticulous and critical thinking that would suit his department well, Ben's recent string of high profile solves when he assisted on cases was noticed by everyone at the police headquarters and Hicks wasn't exactly silent about all the 'rookie detective' did for Metro.
His only blemish was that Ben's undercover work might seem heroic to others but was a big red mark that barred him from truly joining IA. As much as Percy West personally liked and valued Ben for what he did for Jackson during the Bronson Estates Shooting, the qualifications to join Internal Affairs were very rigid in their outline in regards to accountability.
Being off the grid for a few years while having joined an organization like the White Front naturally disqualified the detective without taking anything else into consideration. And West could see that Ben was well suited to work Metro, too. His talents weren't wasted there.
"Observe her for today. Find out if you can leverage any of the flaws in her story into her giving up names," West ordered and raised his hand to stop when he saw Ben was about to interject. "I know, I know. You believe that she doesn't know more. But if she does slip up - keep pressing. That's all I'm saying."
—————
"Why are we here?" Erin asked with furrowed brows.
Ben was driving his charger - the muscle car he was given by Metro as his police vehicle. The detective was wearing his tactical SWAT issued gear instead of civilian clothes, Erin was in her long-sleeves patrol uniform.
After picking her up at her usual station, Ben started driving back to his old neighborhood. It wasn't too far off.
"This is the Crenshaw Community Center. The kids around here started calling it 3C," Ben explained as he undid his seat belt and turned to face Erin.
"Whenever I find the time during work and especially after work, I come here and I help," the detective continued. "I teach CQC to those who come from unstable homes. I help filling out job applications. I fix computers and smartphones for the elderly. I give back to the people of LA."
Erin looked at him with a complicated gaze, still trying to figure out why he had brought her here.
Seeing that she didn't understand yet, Ben sighed and turned back forward, observing the people coming and going.
"I did things I am not proud of in my time undercover. I saw things I will never unsee. Demons that haunt me to this day. With my daughter in my life, these things come easier and easier now," he described and put a hand on the handle to open the car door. "Helping others is my way of coping with these dark thoughts."
Ben got out of his car and started walking to the community center. He didn't actually have any business there today, but he still wanted to start his day with Erin Cole on a more uplifting note. She looked like a kicked puppy yesterday when Ben had laid out all he knew and planned with her. Like her life was about to end, no matter the outcome.
Erin, on her part, was still sitting in the charger. Her eyes followed Ben as he greeted the old men sitting outside gossipping and playing chess. She saw a few young men greet him with intricate high fives - each one different and still perfectly timed. Teenagers who should have likely been at school who were giggling at Ben after shyly waving at him. An old man playfully punching the detective's shoulder and pretending to be in a boxing ring with him.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the car door and walked over to the man who brought her life to a grinding halt half a week ago after sending her the message that revealed her duplicity.
"Where's little Anna? You didn't bring her? Good, I didn't bring any insulin with me and that little angel is just too sweet," an African American woman in her late 50s joked while sitting inside the center near the entrance fixing a tear on a jeans skirt at a sewing machine.
The large woman's hands were acting with a dexterity and sureness, Erin believed she was looking at someone who did nothing else in her life. A born seamstress.
"Well, I'm technically on the clock," Ben quipped back and made it a point to look down at his tactical gear with the large LAPD patch on the front and back. "But I could bring Anna over after work tomorrow? I swear I heard her say she misses her Auntie Juju."
The seamstress laughed a contagious, sweet laugh that rang through the room like church bells.
"Well, you better make good on your promise. Auntie Juju has a pretty dress just for her," 'Juju' coaxed with a big grin and finally looked up when she was done with the skirt she worked on with her sewing machine. Her grin broke and she gave Erin a thin-lipped smile, asking, "Can we help you, miss?"
Caught off-guard by the less-than-welcoming greeting that left the seamstress' mouth the moment she laid on her, Erin froze on the spot.
Ben looked back to her with furrowed brows before turning back and introducing, "Don't be like that. This is Rookie Officer Erin Cole. For today, she is under my wing. I'm hoping to instill in her the mindset of someone who helps where they can. To not just read the police motto but understand it and live it."
"Yeah, serve and protect my fine, black ass," a woman slightly older than Juju sitting next to her spat before the woman's eyes turned into stars as she praised, "Unless it's Detective Weiss, of course. That sweet boy can serve and protect me all day long if he wants to."
A few of the women around her burst out laughing.
"Stop thirsting, Teresa. Even forty years younger, that man would be out of your league," yet another older woman sassily chimed in from where she was now fixing a shirt with deft hands.
Juju seemed to silence a third woman about to bring out the sass with a lifted brow before she looked back at Erin and studied her from top to bottom.
"We're black. We know the reality of the police force. We lived with it our entire lives. And we dislike it all," Juju explained before pointing a finger at Ben while keeping deep eye contact with Erin. "Ben here is the only reason we have hope for a different future in Crenshaw. You better keep a good eye on him. That man is a national treasure."
Juju understood why Ben brought the rookie here. She wouldn't just give a speech like that for nothing.
"Mm-mm," an old lady from next to her agreed as she gave Ben another once-over.
"Don't exaggerate. I'm just one man. You should have hope because there's others like me. Didn't my friends from SWAT take over a few self defense classes lately?" Ben waved away with a stoic smile, ignoring the women from the 'needle gang' teasing him.
"Oh yeah? And when did those others finally start coming here to help instead of throwing another brother behind bars to make the arrest numbers go up? That's right. When you told them to," Juju quipped back with an unimpressed glare for Ben.
"Well," Ben mumbled with an awkward cough into his hand. It had only been months. He threw a lot of his trust fund money at the problem in secrecy to keep the center flush with cash, and he did come here often. The influence of the center barely covered a few blocks, though. It wasn't any meaningful change for the city… yet.
He still hadn't really expected that Juju and her gang already saw the changes with so much certainty for their long-term effectiveness, though. Juju was the heart and soul of this place. Her opinion mattered in this neighborhood. And her reputation was only growing the more young men got 'out of the game', the more children went to bed with full stomachs and had clean clothes to wear.
"Alright. Now that you know Officer Cole, that's already half of my business finished," Ben said with a clap to announce the change in subject. "Anything you ladies have to share with me? Anything I need to know?"
"Lakesha came in with bruises again yesterday," one of the ladies read out from a notepad on her small table with the refreshments for the gang. She looked at Juju, who sighed and added, "She wouldn't say, but we're sure it's her brother. Demarcus is a lost cause, Ben. We got Mary and Ray keeping her company."
Ben nodded with a frown before turning back to the lady with the notepad.
"In more positive news, Kev-kev got that job at the car shop you helped him apply for. That boy complains a lot about the work and the pay, but our sources tell us he stopped talking to his good-for-nothing cousin and looking at apartments to rent."
Ben smiled a small smile and nodded to indicate he understood. The 'sources', of course, was all the gossip these half a dozen women and their men outside playing chess heard while eavesdropping all over.
"The barber shop on Buckingham has a few less customers than usual," the lady with the notepad said as she finished and Ben turned to the leader of the group, Juju again to hear an explanation.
"We think someone's making trouble for Old Ford. Keeping his customers away. Look into it, will you? Ford is a kind soul, he dun nothing to deserve that in his old years," Juju explained with a sour expression.
"Okay, we'll go ask him," Ben agreed easily. "Is that all?"
"That's already plenty, no?" Juju asked, playfully pretending to be offended.
Ben just smiled.
"One more thing, honey," the leading seamstress called out once Ben was about to turn around and leave. "Your girl, she won that fancy competition, 'Young LA's Finest'. Did you see?"
"Not my girl anymore," Ben answered with a helpless look. "But thank you for keeping an eye on her, helping her. I appreciate it."
"Pah, Haley's a good girl. And she won deservingly. Her outfits were on point," Juju quipped with a wink.
"Hate to see you leave, but love to see you go," one of the ladies shouted and both Ben and Erin heard cackling from behind them.
"They are relentless," Erin breathed out with an amused grin that quickly faded. She didn't smile for long though. This was a very uncomfortable interaction for her.
"Yep," Ben agreed. Once he reached the car, got in and started it, he turned to his rookie for the day.
"Look up Brad Ford. Not Officer Bradford. Brad. Ford.," Ben instructed. "Tell me everything you think stands out from his file."
Surprised, Erin logged into the LAPD issued computer in Ben's car and started her research. Ben kept his critique for how long she took to himself, watching her from time to time instead. One good thing was that she didn't have to ask which of the seven Brad Fords in California Ben meant.
He was talking about the barber with the troubling downturn in clients.
"No felony arrests, but he spent two years in prison… case dropped?"
Ben nodded. He knew about that because he knew 'Old Ford'. The aged barber had been arrested for being black as a teenager and kept under lock for the same reason. It was as simple as that. He was only released when public pressure was mounting too high. The outrage when it was revealed that they hadn't even pretended to have a case against him after his release had been enormous… for a few days.
The only thing that came of it was a racist judge in his late 60s 'retiring early'.
"Army vet, two registered weapons. Revolver and, uh, an AK47?"
Ben smiled and explained, "It's golden. Painted, not plated. Hangs behind his register, no firing pin, no magazine. He registered it to be on the safe side. It was a present from a local boxer. Big deal in the 70s. Lost to Foreman first and later Ali, then quit boxing. Old Ford says it was the first and last time he accepted anything other than dollars for a haircut. Turns out having an AK47 invites trouble. So he spray painted it a gaudy color to show he couldn't use it."
Erin just dumbly nodded and continued studying the files on Brad Ford. Since Ben asked to do that, she was determined to find something on the man.
She was still reading when Ben started driving, and she was just about done creating a mental picture of Brad Ford's life when he parked the car again.
"So tell me. Why is Old Ford getting hassled?"
"Shakedown for protection money," Erin proposed, her eyes still glued to the computer screen.
"Explain."
"Nothing in here suggests that 'Old Ford' is anything other than an upstanding citizen. A kind man, respected by his community," Erin answered.
Ben parked the car, they had reached the main street going to the shop to observe the foot traffic.
"That's a good opinion… but it could just be that Old Ford is getting old and people no longer want to get their hair cut by a geezer with madly shaking hands. Don't just think of this as a guaranteed case when there could be easier explanations even though we drove over," Ben half-praised and half-reprimanded. "Now look, it's the shop over there."
After looking up from the computer and following Ben's pointing finger with her eyes, Erin studied the people on the sidewalk near the shop.
"That teenager over there is packing," Erin observed out loud with furrowed brows.
Ben didn't need an explanation, he knew which boy she was talking about.
"There's another two on the other side. Definitely something wrong here," she added quietly a minute later.
"Search for Darryl Henderson," Ben instructed when the rookie next to him kept quiet after voicing her opinion.
When she quickly grasped that it was the name of one of the boys she was looking at, Erin asked, "So you know him already?"
"Keep reading," Ben ordered while typing a message on his phone.
He knew the boy not because of his rather mild criminal past or because he already ran into the young man before but because one of his good friends at SWAT asked him to look out for the kid. Hondo came by the community center just as often as Ben after it started getting funding and showing results. And Hondo, who was a Crenshaw native, was very protective of the kid. Darryl never came by, but he still lived close enough for Hondo to mention him to Ben.
"Barely 14, a few run-ins with the police but never booked. Gang unit suspects him to be part of the 20th Street Hammers. Easy connection with that kind of father, I guess," Erin eventually read out.
"Leroy Henderson," Ben said with a nod. The man was thirteen years into his eighteen year sentence for first degree murder… and had been a childhood friend of SWAT Sergeant Daniel Harrelson, better known as Hondo.
"What will we do?" Erin asked once she finished looking up the boy in the system.
"20th Street Hammers are not looking too kindly at the 3C and my efforts. And we're white cops. Anything we do to these boys in broad daylight will be met with a disproportionate reaction that will not be good for the social climate here in Crenshaw," Ben explained and made a point to show his phone to Erin. "So I called this in to someone who can put these boys in their place. Sergeant Harrelson from SWAT knows Darryl and his father. He can talk some sense into him. Or at least he will come closer to a meaningful solution that isn't us booking another three young black men in this neighborhood for something we won't be able to prove unless they were dumb enough to create the evidence themselves. I doubt we'll find witnesses willing to testify here going against the 20th Street Hammers for something so… 'small'."