Chapter Text
Jay has been awake for almost twelve hours straight now as he sat in the cold dark cell. How could they accuse him of this? She was his wife and she was missing.
His wife was missing.
He kicked his socked foot against the wall again, in an attempt to get someone’s attention — no one came. The detectives that had been investigating the missing persons case were determined to pin this on Jay.
Just as he was about to start shouting for someone he heard footsteps echoing down the hallway and two male voices bouncing off of the walls.
“Halstead. Up” the man drawled out as he pulled open the cell, “hands” Jay knew the process as he stuck his hands out the officer cuffed them and dragged him upstairs towards the interrogation rooms.
He wasn’t at the twenty-first and he refused to call Hank Voight for help, he didn’t need him — he’d left the police for a reason.
He sighed as he dropped down into the old metal chair and winced as the detectives, that he taken over for the officers who had brought him up, scrapped their chairs against the cement floor and sat down across from him.
He caught himself in the mirror and he looked a state. His brown hair wavy and his eyes were red and his skin was pale. He’s been in police custody for twelve hours and this was his second interview, the first one he ‘became irate and angry’ so they had to cut it short and he had given them nothing — which is why he is now the main suspect.
“Interview two — Jay Halstead, Husband.” One of the detectives spoke into the room as he started to record the interview, “the time is seven minutes past six. Missing persons — Sergeant Hailey Upton”
Jay huffed and crossed his arms over this chest. The machine they were using had a transcriber and microphone to capture everything he’d say — way more high tech than intelligence would ever be.
“Detective Macke and Sergeant Holden, are conducting this interview” he wanted the sergeant lean back in his chair, creaking with the pressure. “State your name, and connection to the missing person” Jays weary eyes drop to the transcript.
He lets out an annoyed groan, “Jay Halstead — I’m married to Hailey” he mumbled out as he wipes a hand over his face.
He looks up at the mirror and he knew there were at least two people behind also watching, the whole police department was aware of the case now.
Macke: how long have you and Sergeant Upton been married for?
Halstead: almost three years.
they’d asked this all before but Jay refused to answer any questions. The detective took a sip of his water that was sat in the centre of the table,
Macke: you were a soldier? Before you were a Detective and now you do?
The recorder wizzed as a heavy silence filled the room.
Halstead: yep. I work at the VA
Macke: how is your marriage? Some people would say it was strained, would you agree?
Halstead: no. We had issues yes but it is fine.
He said through gritted teeth, his eyes leaving the transcript and looked up into the mirror again. How was this going to help them find Hailey?
The Sergeant cleared his throat, “where were you the morning of the disappearance?” He stared over at Jay and Jay briefly closed his eyes.
“Home. Bed” he told him as he lent back in his uncomfortable chair,
The sergeant gave him an amused look, “of course. Any one who can verify this?”
Jay nodded and licked his bottom lip before answering, “my neighbours, Charlie and Lora — Bowen”
The detective lifted his pen and began writing notes.
“Okay” he drawled out before asking his next question, “ how was the Morning like?”
Jay took a deep breath and slid his hand over his mouth as he remembered the day Hailey went missing;
Hailey was getting ready for work as he sat up in bed, the sheets pooling around his waist as she told him what her plan for the day was,
“And then we are going to attempt to set up a buy-bust” Hailey was ecstatic about this new unit, she had been given the chance to run the narcotics unit.
He laughed, “Are you now, Hailey Anne?” He teased his wife as she dropped down onto the bed and pulled her socks onto her feet.
“Yep!” She leant over and kissed his lips — gently. And then she walked out of the door shouting her goodbyes — the last time she told him he loved her and he hoped she heard him call it back.
As Jay told the two men across from him about the morning, he closed his eyes as they filled, his throat burning — he refused to cry. Not In front of these men. He went to twist his wedding ring but he came up short, his finger bare.
“So that’s it?” The detective asked, “you what? Went back to sleep?”
Jay frustratedly rubbed at his eyes, “yes.” He said through gritted teeth.
“So what does this mean then?” The sergeant dropped two photographs from his folder, timestamped as 08:23 and 08:36.
“Eight twenty-three, that’s you leaving your apartment. An hour after she left” he slid the photo over to Jay. “And then this one, is your truck leaving the parking garage? That’s you right?”
Jay nodded, being on this side of the interrogation wasn’t what he ever wanted or expected to be apart of.
He’d had enough now, he’d already told them where he was going — work. “Why are you asking me all of this?!” He pushed them away from him and slammed his hand down against the metal table. “If you’d do your job you’d have found my wife by now!”
“Calm down” the detective told him, “Interview paused” Jay heard the screech of the recorder stopping and the wizzing stopped.
Jay groaned and dropped his head to the table, as both men stood up and walked away — Jay knew that they were gonna leave him there. He’d done it with suspects loads before.
He just wanted them to find Hailey. He reported her missing fifteen hours ago.
Detective Macke followed the sergeant out into the hallway and they both went into their bullpen,
“What if — what if he’s telling the truth?” One of the officers piped up as the men approached the desks.
“He’s not” Macke said adamantly,
“What do you really have that pins this to him?” Another detective asked, as she walked towards the boards.
Macke cleared back throat with an annoyed roll of his eyes, “the nine - one - one call of arguing the night before. Her DNA in his truck and under his finger nails”
She rolled her eyes, “one, couples have arguments. Two, they are married — of course her DNA is in his truck, I bet if you swabbed anywhere on him, it’s there too” she told him as she dropped into her chair.
“What about the DNA under his fingernails” he asked as he started to write on the timeline.
“Sex” she said and looked around at everyone’s faces , “what? Loads of people have sex after arguments” she stated.
“I don’t buy it” he grunted out as he dropped his pen to his desk. “I’m gonna go check his alibi”
“I’m going to look into her unit, and old unit — I’m going to visit sergeant Voight” the detective told them as she grabbed her coat and wandered out of the bullpen.
“Hi, I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of Sergeant Voight”
Trudy looked up and down at the woman in front of her, “uh — who are you?”
The detective laughed, “I’m macie Samuel — detective at missing persons. I need to ask him some questions about Sergeant Upton and Jay Halstead”
Trudys face dropped, “why?” She demanded.
Macie eyes slightly widened and she cleared her throat, “Sergeant Upton is missing and my partner is convinced her husbands the reason so—“ she’s cut off;
“Hailey’s missing?!” She dropped her files from her hands and steps away from her desk, “how long? Where’s Jay?”
Macie asks her to take her up to Voight and she can explain everything as she watches the older woman in front of her wipe at her eyes as the tears rolled down her cheeks. And Trudy does as she asks.
“Hank?” Her voice is slightly rough — tear filled. Everyone turned around to face her.
“What’s wrong Trudy?” Kim asks as she lifts herself from her chair and makes her way over to her.
She cleared her throat, “uh — Hailey’s missing” she stumbled out, “and they think Jays apart of it”
“Missing?” Adam blurts out, “Jay?” Kim says at the same time. The whole unit stared at Trudy and the new woman behind her.
“We’re taking the case?” Kevin asks,
“No.” Voight answers before Macie can, “I’m having nothing to do with Halstead”
“But boss —“ Adam protested but was cut off by Voights voice again.
“I’m having nothing to do with Halstead being investigated — especially for him being investigated for a crime against his own wife” and with that he slammed the door to his office.
Adam angrily huffed and kicked his chair away from him, and everyone silently watches Trudy bring Macie over to the front of the room so she can explain why she’s there.
“I’m detective Macie Samuel — missing persons” she introduces herself and continues, “I need to interview all of you — ask you all some questions”
She looks over at Trudy, “can I use your conference room?” And Trudy nods to her. “Sergeant Platt would you like to start?” And Trudy leads her down the hallway and pushes the door open, “let me set up the equipment and we can get started, okay?” She gives her a sympathetic smile.
Macie sets up her equipment she had bought in with her, the portable recorder and microphone, and her note book.
“Detective Macie Samuel — interview one, character witness” she speaks into the room and Trudy watches the transcript type it out, “can you state your name? And how you know Sergeant Upton and Jay Halstead
“Trudy Platt” she says, “uh — I met Hailey when she was ten when her fathers diner was robbed and then again when she became a detective” she cleared her throat, “and I met Jay when he joined Intelligence about twelve years ago now”
Macie wrote on her notes before asking another question, “tell me about their relationship, partnership at work and marriage” she requests.
Platt: they had a good relationship at work — some would say they were joined at the hip. They would look at each other and it was almost telepathic how they communicated,
Platt; continued: I mean it was no surprise when they started dating, and then when they secretly got married.
Samuel: secretly?
Platt: eloped.
Samuel nodded,
Each interview they said similar things;
“Connected at the hip”
“Inseparable”
“Conjoined”
And now one said anything bad about their marriage, and it was Macie was just packing up her equipment as Voight approached the room.
“Hi” she said as she looked up for a brief moment, “can I help you?”
“You still doing interviews?” He asked her,
“Yeah — I do need yours” and he grunted out a response as he sat down in the seat everyone else has sat in,
“Interview six — Detective Macie Samuel” she continued, “could you state your name and how you know Sergeant Upton and Jay Halstead?”
Voight cleared his throat, “Sergeant Hank Voight” he leaned back in the chair, “they both worked for my unit until a year ago — and then Hailey became and Sergeant and left”
The recorder wizzed and the microphone static cut through before she asked the question she’d now asked lots of times,
“Can you tell me about their relationship — partnership at work and their marriage?” She knew the clock was ticking to find Hailey and hopefully someone had found a new lead because it wasn’t looking like there were any marital issues.
“It was strained at times” he mumbled out.
Samuel: was? They are still married ?
Voight: it’s better now, well a year ago — since Jay came back from Bolivia.
Samuel: Bolivia?
The door swung back open and Detective Macke and a new man walked into the interrogation room, Jay cards a hand through his dirty hair and sits up slightly and watches them sit down across from him.
“Officer Alexander” the man introduces himself — he has blond hair and a slightly ginger beard,
He nods in greeting, “have you found my wife?” He demands.
“No.” Macke flips the switch for the recorder, “interview three — Jay Halstead. It is currently twenty minutes to Ten” so he’d been there. Now nearly fifteen hours.
“Tell us about Bolivia” Macke askes and Jays eyes scrunch up with annoyance.
They were never gonna find Hailey…