“Step into my office, Mr. Flanagan.” The chief stood tall with a proud gaze as I walked into his office. A smile beamed on his face. As soon as I walked into the room, I felt sick to my stomach.

Clearing my throat, I humbly announced my intentions. “Sir, I’d like to question East Side Jimmy regarding the case,” I said.

The chief’s smile faded quickly. “You mean, Jim Garish,” he said.

Slowly, I sat down and leaned back against the chair. “Yes, sir.”

As he scratched the sides of his thinning hair, the chief sat in silence, face expressionless. My evidence was thin, and I was going off of a young man’s word, but I believed him, and my intuition was strong. If I could get ten minutes with East Side Jimmy, I might be able to bring this all to light.

Of course, that gave the chief every reason to fight me on this. After a short moment, he finally answered me. “I’m afraid I can’t authorize that, Flanagan. Fortunately, we’ve shut the door on that case. He’s in Rikers now, safely closed behind bars.

I lurched forward and clasped my hands around the table in a slight frenzy. “You closed the case?” I asked. “When were you going to tell me?”

Proudly gazing at his reflection in his desk mirror, the chief adjusted his uniform at the neckline and smiled. “We’re putting this case to rest. Yesterday, Jim Garish admitted to his crimes. He will stand trial for the attempted murder of officer David Frist. He will be convicted, and I can assure you that he will never leave his jail cell ever again.”

“But, sir. We have more investigating to do. The opiate ring—”

The chief stood up, a clear sign that I had to stop talking. “You will stand down, officer Flanagan.”

“Yes, sir,” I said through gritted teeth.

“I’m sure you understand. The department doesn’t need the negative press looming around its name. We can barely stand on our own as it is,” he said.

So that was it? This was all a complicated public relations case? Gracefully, I put on my best smile and shook the chief’s hand. “I understand completely, sir,” I lied. I didn’t understand any of it, but I knew I wasn’t going to get any answers arguing with the chief.

Just as I reached my hand out to open the door, the chief cleared his throat. “Oh, Flanagan. One more thing. For your hard work, you will be awarded the NYPD Medal of Honor. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I knew what that meant. A promotion was not in the cards for me, or my old partner, David. I nearly gave my life for this department, but it was all for what? A medal. Nothing more.

There was only one thing I could do. When the chief shut his office door, I ran to the nearest exit. I was going to have to go to Rikers Island and conduct an interview myself, but getting inside those gates was hard these days. Luckily, I knew who to call.

Derrick was going to have my ass on a stick for this, but I couldn’t let myself think about the consequences. This was about justice. As I hurried to my police vehicle, I found myself dialing a familiar number.

A grim voice answered on the other line. “Hello?”

“David. It’s Marcus,” I said.

“Flanagan?” His voice perked up. “Shit, man. It’s been a few months. How are you holding up?”

“To be honest, I’ve got a lot on my mind right now, but I’m hanging in there,” I said. “Have you been following the case?”

“As much as I can in this hospital bed. Chief called earlier today. There’s supposed to be a press conference this week,” he said.

“Listen, I need a clearance to get into Rikers. East Side Jimmy needs adequate interrogation. There’s something that’s not right with all of this,” I said.

David’s silence caused me to shift in the driver’s seat. “You’re barking up a dark tree, my friend,” David said.

“You nearly died arresting that man. I know you don’t think Jim is the man in charge. Neither do I. Justice needs to be served.”

Sighing, David lowered his voice. “You want my advice? Stay out of this. It’s not worth jeopardizing your career.”

“Thanks, but I don’t care about my career. I only care about getting access to Jim Garish,” I said. “Can you help me or not?”

Sensing my urgency, David gave in. “Fuck,” David whispered. “Okay. I’ll make some calls, but I can’t offer you any promises.”

“You’re the best, David.”

Before he hung up the phone, he said, “Just don’t let this get back to me. You never called me. You hear me?”

“I won’t let you down, David,” I said.

I arrived in the Bronx within ten minutes of leaving the precinct. Parking the vehicle across from Rikers Island, I sat and waited. I thought about Sawyer and his family. I felt the weight of my decisions come to a culmination.

Growing up, I didn’t have much. My father used to tell me, “Only the strongest men survive this world.” It took me years to realize just how wrong his viewpoint was.

Survival. My father’s framework stayed with me forever. For someone like my father, survival meant more than family. For me, love and honesty went further than doing what it took to survive. The truth was more important than my career’s survival.

As I sat watching the detention center across the water, I felt my phone start to buzz. David was calling me back. Answering, I waited for his instructions. “Marcus, you’re good to go. Officer Chuck Rodriguez will check you in and bring you back. You have five minutes. You hear me? Five.”

“I got it,” I said.

“If you fuck this up, and the chief finds out about your little plan, they’re going to ruin your name. You know that right?” David asked.

“I know,” I said.

“I’d like to keep my pension intact. This never happened. Do you hear me?”

I put the car in drive, headed over that long stretch of road toward the desolate prison boundaries in front of me. “Settle down, David. I would never throw you under the bus. As for me, I’m not scared of the risks anymore,” I said.

“So, what are you scared of?” David asked.

“Now? Nothing.”

I hung up the phone, but as I drove onto that inhabitable island, I suddenly felt like I hit a turning point in my life. After this, everything could change. I would either come out with no conclusive evidence, or I’d come out with something that would break the case wide open. With a hardhearted department police chief, I’d probably lose either way.

I walked into the cold and lifeless building, and a young corrections officer, Mr. Rodriguez, met me in the front. “Flanagan, right? I got you access, but you have to know that you’re pressing your luck. If the guys on the outside find out about this, we could both lose our jobs.”

“Don’t worry about me. I have your back if you have mine,” I said.

Rodriguez nodded, but his eyes looked unsure. “You’re lucky you saved David’s life,” he muttered. “This is fucking crazy.”

Despite his worry, he led me into the jail, handing me off to another set of guards inside. “Follow them. They’ll get you through. Good luck and never speak my name,” he said.

This wasn’t my first trek into Rikers correctional facility. I had talked to murderers, rapists, and other lowlife criminals here plenty of times before. This time, however, felt different.

The long hallway of closed jail cells stretched on indefinitely. The prisoners screamed obscenities at me as I walked by. “I can smell it on you, omega,” one man hissed. Another cackled and told me, “You’re next.”

I avoided the unnecessary confrontation and kept walking until the guard in front of me stopped. “Five minutes,” he said, pointing. Inside the cell was Jim Garish, otherwise known as East Side Jimmy. I hadn’t seen him since the raid and subsequent arrest.

As the guard opened the cell for me, Jimmy looked up at me and smiled. “So, you’ve come back for me,” he said.

“Don’t push your luck, Jimmy. I’m not your white knight,” I said.

Laughing, Jimmy slicked his greasy hair back with his dirty fingers. It looked like he hadn’t showered in a week, and when he smiled, I noticed that a few teeth were missing, most likely from a fight that occurred on the inside, or perhaps some guards found out he was a cop killer. Either way, he wasn’t a good man.

“If not you, then who?” he asked. “Or am I destined to stay here for the rest of my life? Karma is a bitch.”

The officer behind me closed and locked the cell door. As soon as he walked away, I moved closer to Jimmy.

“You tried killing my partner, an officer of the law. That’s a federal crime. What do you expect from a jury? Do you think you’ll walk free?” I asked.

Again, Jimmy laughed. This time, his eyes looked different. It almost seemed like he knew more than he was letting on. “I’ve been over the score already with you people. I know that the case is closed.”

“Life in prison,” I said. “Right now, that’s what you’re facing.”

“Other men have faced worse. I’m confident that I’ll be moved to a nicer facility where all of my needs will be met,” he said.

“Is that what you were told?” I asked.

A sinister look caused his face to contort. “Do you understand how powerful these people are?” he asked.

I leaned forward and pressed him. “Who is? Are you admitting that you lied under oath? That’s perjury, Jim.”

“Can you imagine wearing a mask on your face, officer Flanagan? I bet you can. Everyone does it to a certain extent,” he said. “They’re no different than you or I, but they do hold the keys to the cells.”

Everything came flooding back to me. When we arrested him, I remembered what he said to me. I whispered, “They walk in plain sight.”

Jimmy’s eyes lit up. “You should stay away from this place, Flanagan. You’re in over your head. I can’t imagine that’s going to bode well with the heads of your department.”

I felt myself step away from him, but the sound of the guard’s nearing footsteps caused me to worry about our time. “Tick, tock,” Jimmy whispered, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“What did you mean when you said those words to me? ‘They walk in plain sight.’ Who does? The chief? Derrick Fulton? You need to tell me, Jimmy. I can help you,” I said.

“Time’s up.” The low and rough voice from the correctional officer echoed across jimmy’s cell.

“Who is it, Jimmy? What does it all mean?” I asked with desperation.

“You’re getting closer, officer,” he said with a smile.

“Time is up!”

In a panic, the guard opened the cell door and ripped me out of the cell. Cautiously, I stepped back, but before the guard could escort me to the front of the building, Jimmy grabbed the bars and forced himself as close to me as he could.

“Trust comes at a high price, Flanagan. If you want the answers, you’re going to have to open your eyes and dive into the rabbit hole. Talk to your boyfriend’s brother. He might be better suited for this job. Oh, and good luck with the pregnancy. Your skin is glowing today.”

Those last words hit me hard. I walked out of the facility, but I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that happened. One thing was clear: Matthew was right. This went higher than I was willing to believe.

But that last thing he told me—was it true? Was I really pregnant?

As much as it invaded my thoughts, I wouldn’t let a criminal like Jim Garish worry me. There was so much more to be done.