May 21st - Crime Scene

“This job is eating me alive, I can’t breathe anymore. I spent all these years trying to be the good guy, the one in the white hat. I’m not becoming like them. I am them!”

Jacob Peralta turned his head, he noticed his fellow detectives had looked at him like he was a weirdo before he shrugged turning to Santiago.
 
“What did you think? Cool, right? It’s the best speech from Joseph Pavanno’s Book: The Life and Rise of a hothead-”

Santiago raised an eyebrow at Jake, wondering how he was beating her in this bet of theirs. She didn’t know, she put it up to luck but when he put his mind to things, he was one of the best detectives in the Vegas 99th Precinct. 

“Cut it out weirdo, we’re here for a murder case, two vics. One witness, a Benny Fisher, he’s over there with the Sarge.”

Jake turned his head to look at the man with his look of smarts as he dubbed it, he wanted to say that Benny had done this but his gut was telling him something deeper was happening right now. 

“Anything else?”

Jake narrowed his eyes on the bodies dumped in the middle of the street, they were fresh. How they left here in the middle of the street was something as well, this was not a simple murder. It was a message to anybody who tried to do whatever these poor jagoffs had done, it would end in murder.

“Apparently these two guys have ties with Vegas Mob Boss, Louie ‘Diamonds’ Vercetti, Holt wants us to tread carefully. He knows that Louie has most of the LVPD on his payroll and this is something that we could use to take him down, he’ll be looking for two recruits with these two recently laid off.”

Jake allowed a small chuckle to escape him before nodding, heading over to Fisher. He knew of the Vercetti Family, they were something of a big deal over here in Vegas, he remembered when he went undercover with the Iannucci Crime Family. They were feared, for good reason as well. 

“Mr. Fisher, I’m Detective Right all the time and this is my partner, Detective always stays loyal. Would you mind answering some questions for us?”

“Sure, I wouldn’t mind, I don’t remember much, it was a bit dark at the time when I rang the police but I could make out some things.”
Jake smiled brightly, not wanting the man to be nervous as every other person was. When business involved death or a certain shop window being broken, people clammed up and didn’t speak. Almost as if someone had a vice grip on their neck, Jake did not like that and so knew that he would have to approach this situation differently than most. 

“Sir-”

Turning his head, Jake shared a quick glance with Santiago. He was letting her take the lead here, only to stop when he noticed that the witness in question did not give Amy a second glance. He continued to look at him, expecting him to ask the questions here, Jake scoffed muttering under his breath, “This type of crap is still happening, cool, cool, cool, cool.”

“Sir, could you describe what you saw or heard? Any distinct sayings or voices that may help us in our investigation.”

Fisher thought about things for a while before listing off certain things as Santiago took the notes, he could already see that part of this was bothering her and he did not know what to do or say currently, women just weren’t seen as powerful or upfront in this world today. Some people wanted to leave in the past then go ahead with the future. 

“Thank you, please just head on home.”

He nodded, heading off as Peralta and Santiago shared a look, at times, the two had a clear competitive-friendship that often made them act out in odd bets and competitions. Jake had been winning with 10 Solves, while Amy was behind with 33, now everyone thought Amy was the more likely candidate to win. Only Jake had shown his skill and his best friend, Charles Boyle, who had given him some of his open cases to assist him on.

"Amy-"

"Don't Peralta, the guy was a dick. What he gave us was worth it though, plus, I still have some open cases with Diaz and Collins. I'll be able to catch up to you, this isn't over. Let's just get back to the precinct and debrief the captain."

Jake looked at Amy with his pattened smirk, Amy noticing the look closed her eyes with a sigh. She was already walking to her car, turning her head to look at Peralta with a narrowed eye glare. 

"Don't-"

"Title of your sex tape..."

Amy growled heading into her car as she waited for Peralta to enter before heading on their to the 99th Precinct.

"Santiago, Peralta, I've been informed by the higher-ups that you've made a break in the Vegas Mob Case. Want to share with the rest of us?"

While Amy looked at the Captain like he was God walking on water, Peralta could not help it and see him as the Robot Captain who he had been working with for a year now and still, he hadn't got used to his Da-ptain acting like he was an emotionless robot who went home to be charged. 

"I would but you seem so enthused to hear about it, makes me feel joy, something you're not programmed to feel."

Holt's answer to his sarcastic remarks was simply a straight face, he could never tell with the man, it just seemed like he had removed any emotion from his life. Even Diaz had an emotion, albeit, it was mostly anger but still, it was an emotion nonetheless, with the Captian, it already made him nervous.

"Well, my software is due for an exuberance upgrade but please, enough of your silly japes, proceed with the Vegas Mob dealings."

Jake stood up, he heard some small oohs, people already wanting to guess where this was going. A case against Diamonds was big and the fact that they found it and not one of the more...friendly precincts would have the commissioner on their asses. He stood in front of a board that some uniformed officers had brought in earlier, he could not help it and so shared a glance with Santiago. 

"For all you murder fans, we have two deaths. Antony 'The Freak' Chenko and Gerald Mackie suspected hitmen of this man, Louie Vercetti, head of the Vercetti Crime Family here in Vegas."

Many of the detectives looked at Jake with wary eyes, they knew that Jake had an obsession with the Mob, wanting to take down every last one, even if it meant him dying to win the case.

"A witness can tie these men to a beatdown of Butcher Shop owner, Phil Waters. Apparently, they had a discussion that resulted in tempers being flared and Mr. Waters being escorted to St. Mary's Hospital."

Jake noticed how Charles, Rosa, and Amy all paid attention. While others(Hitchcock and Scully) - were napping, during a briefing. He shook his head but had to remember the time that he came into work with his PJs on, so he could not really be on their cases for sleeping during a briefing. 

"Any other leads? I'm already catching heat from the Higher-ups. They don't want us handling this case for obvious reasons, so I'm gonna ask again, do you need any backup or support?"

Jake looked at his fellow detectives, he could already see that many of them wished to help him with this case. He shook his head, looking to the captain with his usual bright smile. 

"I'll take Boyle and Amy for now, just to assist with the ongoing questions for the shopkeepers that we'll be questioning soon."

"My fantasy threesome has come true..."

Jake and Amy looked over at Boyle with suspicion in their eyes, he did know what he was saying, right? 

"Of three cops on a case."

Jake nodded with a tight smile while Amy still watched Boyle like he was something of a weird dude with fantasies about Jake and her, while she had some small feelings for the sometimes immature-serious Detective, she could tell that he had no feelings besides the occasional rivalry glint in his eyes.

"Alright, dismissed, Peralta, you're the lead detective. I want you to be serious on this, no mistakes, nothing can be done wrong. By the book, understood?"

"Yes Da-Sir, it's a cooler way of saying Sir, you add the Da as a sign of respect..."

Holt watched blankly for a couple of seconds before nodding, heading on his way to his office as the rest of the squad left soon after him, leaving Boyle, Amy and Peralta. 

"Alright, Boyle, I want you to head to Hank's, it's a Bistro that caters to the Vegas Mob. See if you can't squeeze anything out of them and no, you cannot bring your bib to see how they rank on your weekly newsletter!"

Boyle groaned before heading on his way, he did hear a sigh of relief from Amy and wondered if anyone truly read his Newsletters, he was the only one that measured mouth-feel.

"I want you Santiago-"

"Something that no lover of yours has ever said."

Amy blinked as she looked at Boyle who somehow entered back in as he stood next to Jake, who had a small smile twitching at his lips at the words that Boyle used. 

"Boyle, out."

He nodded once more and headed on his way before Peralta turned back to Amy with his smile in place, noticing how irritated she seemed, he could not lie and said that it looked good on her. 

"I want you and me to scope out the Butcher Shop that Phil Waters worked at, it'll be pretty good to see if any of their buddies show up to finish the job, Let's go."

May 21st - Stakeout

"Stake me out tonight...I don't-"

Peralta looks at Amy with his eyebrows raised, he wondered why she learned that song from Boyle, he remembered it from a while ago when they had to watch for the Russian Mob who were looking to gain a foothold here in the US, long story short, the case went smooth except for the fact that Jake and Charles had started to argue over some stuff that was small in comparison but due to being in a small room for over a week, well, it made for some rough times. 

"Amy, where did you learn that song?"

Amy chuckles looking at Peralta with her own challenging smirk, she knew that he hated the song that Boyle had sung to her once. It was what made this little stakeout all the more worth it, Jake was not the best with this type of closed in space. He often needed to exercise his energy, with only the two of them here and how they were closed in, it didn't exactly fit in. So, they were stuck here watching the butcher shop and waiting for any signs of activity. 

"Charles taught me, he said that you loved it, I guessed the opposite. I loved seeing your writing, almost as if someone told you that your mother didn't buy you Orange Soda."

"Don't dare make up that kind of scenario Santiago, my mother always buys me Orange Soda!"

Amy nodded before looking back at the Butcher Shop, she knew that Peralta took this case more serious than anyone else, this was not the usual Peralta. He would try to think up some jokes here and there, try to get their minds off of their dark line of work. Santiago was used to it and almost hoped for the annoying Peralta to come out sometime soon, only she wouldn't get what she wanted.

"Hey isn't that Gregory Palomino, a Lieutenant of the Vercetti Crime Family, you are getting this down, correct?"

"Of course, Peralta. What do you want to do?"

Jake looked at Palomino, he already knew what this would be and he knew that he couldn't go in without Probable Cause or a warrant unless he was a dirty cop and he was not going to be that way. He sighed, signaling Santiago to watch. 

"We stay here, if we see any kind of violence, we step in to investigate the premises from there. Hopefully, we can get something from Mr. Waters from there."

Santiago sighed, nodding to herself that this was the correct procedure. She didn't like it though, the cops who didn't care let this happen without another thought but people like the Nine-Nine, they didn't let this happen. They wanted to get the bad guys off the streets, both Mobsters and Bad Cops, it wasn't right and this was the start. Hopefully, in this case, a lot more things would open up to them.

"Fine, Peralta, what made you want this case anyway? You just finished up the Pontiac Bandit, who escaped but still gained you some recognition. There was the Diamond Heist, which we can go into later detail, people said you went deep undercover. Only you look a bit, I don't know, different."

Jake nodded, his deal with the Pontiac Bandit was simple, which was what lead into all this business with the Vercetti Family, they were his original target, even during the whole Diamond Heist situation. He had gone undercover, joining up with the Weston High Point Gang, they were a bunch of goons but smart.

"Maybe I did Santiago, maybe this is just a facade for my true serious interior-"

Jake kept his serious face up for a while before he could no longer, laughing with all he could muster before he looked back to the butcher shop. Part of that was serious, he knew that he did not joke around as much as he used too, part of that was because of Holt and part of that was because of the work he did while undercover. 

"Har-Har Peralta, I'm just saying, if you need someone to talk to, my door is open."

His face softened considerably, noticing how she was serious in how she spoke, he didn't need her to think that he had gone off the deep end undercover. 

"Thanks, Santiago."

There clear bonding moment of friendship was interrupted once they heard a smashing of glass coming from the butcher shop. They stopped, noticing Gregory roughing up Mr. Waters. They smiled at one another before exiting their vehicle, taking out their guns and approached the situation. 

"Seems like it's our lucky day Peralta, let's get him." 

"Hands up! Gregory Palomino, you're under arrest!"

Gregory turned around, looking down at the body of Phil Waters with an almost mocking pity expression that seemed sewn onto his face. He did nothing else, he noticed how the detectives tried approaching him, they must have thought that he was armed. He knew that he wasn't carrying a piece with him but he couldn't let them inside the racket, this was more than a butcher shop. 

"If it isn't Joke Peralta, I thought you were used to running around with the Pontiac Bandit, isn't this above your pay grade? Get out of here before you end up on your back."

Jake narrowed his eyes, why did everyone always take that the wrong way? He and Doug Judy had a comical friendship that always ended with him getting some assistance on a case. He remembered Tito Ruiz and the Heroin that he named 'Giggle Pig' - it was ridiculous but he had gotten the help he needed.

"Gregory, this doesn't have to end this way. Hands up, come in and give us what we want, it isn't that hard. It doesn't have to be difficult unless you make it that way."

Gregory shrugged, noticing how Santiago seemed to go on a different side of him, their guns were not aimed at him but he knew that could be changed within moments. He was not going to be another statistic, he looked down at Phillip, seeing the fear in his eyes becoming a bit dimmer. He felt safe with the 99th Justice Patrol here to assist, the pricks never wanted to take a bribe.

"C'mon Jokey, you know me. This ends one way and we both know that I won't be in jail long enough for you to put me on trial. I'll be out before dinner and the wife will be so ever pleased."

He shrugged, motioning for Santiago to step forward, noticing how many of the civilians seemed to be looking at them with some disdain, taking down a member of high society like this. Jake knew that this kind of shit was more prominent in the Las Vegas scene, cops were not the shining stars or the Knights in Shining Armor, that changed. Now they were the animals that went bump in the night while Mobsters were the new Knights, the ones who the civilians run to when there is a problem. 

"Santiago, you know what to do, I'll be talking with Mr. Waters, get an account of how this escalated from here."

Jake looked around, noticing how the Civilians continued to look at them with disdain. He saw a couple of uniformed officers doing a patrol, he motioned them over and saw that they were a bit hesitant with the Mob being involved with this case and Jake couldn't to himself. He would be a bit hesitant to but he could see that these were the type of guys that wanted to do good, he would make sure that they got a reward for their cooperation today. 

"Seal this off, no one comes in or out without mine or Santiago's say so. Get these civilians out of here, we don't need the Papers to get ahold of this right now."

Jake stepped forward, walking past Palomino as Amy placed him in handcuffs but that was not the end of it, the member of the Mob had one thing to say. 

"Peralta, this ain't going to end well. Holt won't always be there to protect you, I know you're his little pet project. We got people everywhere, know who your friends are Joke."

Jake turned his head, narrowing his eyes on Palomino believing the man to be spouting off some incoherent crap but he knew that it was true. The Las Vegas Mob did have spies everywhere and he knew that this was not going to be the end of the world, they had to continue moving or it was not going to end well, they could not let fear take hold of them. 

"Tell me this, if your Boss has no way of getting you out, what happens then? Hm? We'll go to the papers ourselves, assault on a civilian and threatening an officer of the law, how does that look? So get out of here before I have to fill out a different report, hm?"

Gregory Palomino looked into Peralta's eyes and could already tell that this was not the Peralta he was used too, this was a Peralta that was much more serious about his work. He was focused and that was what worried him, how could he, a Detective that enjoyed sour candies, sometimes bordering addictive, become serious in a year? 

Gregory had no rebuttal and was soon escorted to their vehicle, Jake watched him for a good while before turning to Phill with a bright smile that seemed a bit forced. 

"Mr. Waters, I've got some questions for you. It seems that you've had a busy week, let's go inside."

"W-what do you mean by that Detective? He wanted to know about a couple of friends of his that stopped by here a couple of days ago. He seemed to go ballistic when I didn't know what happened to them, it seems a bit odd to me but I was in no position to argue with him after then and so he just starts to wail on me, throwing me through the window. I just repaired after his fr-"

Jake knew that he had him, turning around to inspect the window and he could see that it was a bit out of sorts, nothing that he could not fix again. Still, this was the second time it was broken, if he didn't know any better, he would have said that Vercetti and his boys had a hard-on for breaking windows. y s

"After his friends came here before? We know about that already. We picked up a witness to that little tactic they used, now I want to know why they came here before. What interest would they have in a small-time butcher shop like yours? It doesn't make sense, right? You're making how much of this business? Don't answer, I also know that already."

Jake knew that this place had to be some importance to the Vegas boys, they had come here two times now, one with Antony and Gerry. Now it was Gregory, three members of the same crew came here, albeit for different reasons. He knew that he could search the premises but he wanted the man to come forward himself - he did not wish for people to be afraid of the Mob any more, they needed to believe that they too could put more power into the business and streets of Las Vegas.

"They were collecting their protection money, I kick it back up to Louie Vercetti here and there. Only Gregory wasn't here for that, he came here searching for those missing friends of his. He had been thinking that I had something to do with it, what would I need with two henchmen? Nothing, that was all detective."

Jake nodded, he looked around. Nothing was out of place, it was all in place and everything seemed perfect except for the window. Only something kept gnawing at the back of his mind, he was forgetting or missing something crucial right here in front of him. It was only then that he noticed Phil and how his eyes kept flickering over to a door in the corner, then back to him. 

"Phil, I'm going to ask again and I want you to tell me the truth. Is that really it? You have nothing else to tell me?"

Phil was getting more nervous and Jake would have felt bad but he had already played the waiting game long enough, he wanted to know. He could not let the Vegas Boys create more discord and fear for the people of this beautiful city, he had to make sure that they were stopped, by any means necessary if need be. 

"What is it, Phil? Tell me."

His eyes went to the door again and Jake knew what this was, it was a Racket. How could Phil pay protection money with a measly butcher shop? He couldn't, they were using this as a front. 

Stepping towards the door, Peralta brought out his gun and made sure to have a tight grip, he was not going to be caught off guard, he could hear some noise and just as he was about to door it was barged open as he heard running steps, heading out of the butcher shop...

"FUCK!"

Jake, his eyes were dark, like he had almost lost the light from them. He usually looked loving, kind, and all around, a good guy. This seemed to be the type of person he would be undercover, the person he would appear to be to others. He had rarely gotten like this but here, faced with the Vegas Mob, he could not help but let it loose and the growl that followed almost made him fire his weapon. 

He rushed to his feet, looking around and noticing that Phil had run away also. He looked inside the room and found what appeared to be a Den of Gambling, this was a racket and it was clear as day as to why Phil kept looking to this door. Jake craned his neck to the side, his eyes lighting up with such anger that he wanted to chase after them and he would. 

Peralta stepped outside, he motioned for Santiago to step forward with not much so as a 'how do you do' - No this was not a time for pleasantries if they wanted to play dirty than he would do so as well...he could play super-dirty...title of his sex tape. Peralta bowed his head, never believing that he`had been played for a fool. 

"Phil and a bunch of the Vegas guys were running a gambling racket from the butcher shop, it's either that or Phil has been taken with them...how did you not see them? Where are the uniformed officers!?"

He noticed that none of the officers that he stationed here even bothered to stay, none of them even glanced back at him as if he was fighting a losing battle. It had almost made him lose it and he did not want to turn to that side of himself, it was what made his time in the Iannucci Crime Family different, he was more than a computer guy for them, he was a bruiser. 

"They're obviously not here Jake, C'mon, we have to go find these guys. I can call some Uniformed Officers from the Nine-Nine and then lock this down for further investigation."

Peralta looked at her like she was being silly, they would not win this war against Crime by playing with the rules, they would not win at all, These guys had a structure, they were organized and knew what they were doing. If they got one, another would be put in its place. Like a fucking hydra.

"Amy!"

His partner had stopped, looking at him in surprise, he did not want to get like this but it was the only way and some might say that he was obsessed with this case but they didn't see it as he did. This was more than just a war, this was a fight for survival, it was a way of life, if people continued going to the mafia for support, what happened to them? The justice, the ones that upheld the peace? Were they meant to be nothing more than corrupt? Not a chance for him.

"This is not going to be done with support from Holt or our precinct, something else must be done. This is going to be the only time that this happens, this city, these cities, they are corrupt. They have to be stomped out!"

It was almost like Jake Peralta was taking to this to a personal level of justice, he had to be careful because he knew that he could be taken off the case for this. He was losing his cool and he could not help it, his father, Roger Peralta. He had been killed on the orders of a Mobster, a mobster who worked with Louie Vercetti...

"Jake! You have to calm down, do you need to talk? This is not how you are usually acting, this case, there is more to it than you're letting on."

Jake turned his head, not wanting to answer Amy but not realizing that he had given his partner all the ammo that she needed. She had picked something up and she knew then that this was personal, Peralta rarely let anything affect him but this was a whole new level, this type of Peralta was not what she was used too. 

"You need to go home, get some rest, this case; It's going to be the end of you. You need to rest up."

Jake growled as he stared at Santiago, she didn't understand, none of them. When you see your own father murdered at the hands of the so-called protectors, you don't stop until all of them are ripped out from this world, root, and stem. 

"No Amy, this does not stop here, these men, those people are the monsters and I won't stop until their...-"

He cut himself off and noticed how Santiago was looking at him now the disgust was clear and he did not blame her. He would be looking at himself in the same manner if he did not have a single thought on what this was. Only he did, he repeated in his thoughts, he knew what this was and he knew that it could not stop here. If people did not want to see, he had to make them see, he would make sure that they saw the truth for what it was. 

"Jake, go home. Please, you need the rest."

Amy reached for him but he backed away, the hurt evident on her face as he continued to back away until he stood a good few feet away from her. 

"Santiago, there is no resting for this. I want to see justice then, if I can't see it done the correct and legal way, I'll have to resort to other means. I am telling you this as a friend, I am not resting until Louie Vercetti is in prison for life or is dead in the ground."

His eyes met hers and at that moment, Detective Santiago could not see a man of justice but a man that was ready to sacrifice anything and everything for his belief in justice.

Stepping into his home, Jake found a note and simply looked at it for a moment before shrugging, leaving it on the counter. 

'Jake, I had to go back to my Father's for a while. I'll be back in a week' - Chuck

-
Sighing to himself, Jake settled in his living room, he could already see that Santiago was going to be writing him up. He was a risk and he knew it, only he did not really care. He ached for the suspension, he would beg for it on the day that he wished to leave. Peralta knew that he could not do what needed to be done chained to a desk with Uniformed Officers that were not going to be trustworthy.

"You really fucked it up, Jacob, now how are you going to honor your father? The man that raised you and was taken away by those you hunt down. This is going to be more than just justice, this is going to be a war, one that you can't win alone."

Peralta stands from the couch that he occupied once he came home, he looked over at his office, entering with a small sigh escaping him. He could see the work that he put into it, all to catch the mob and it was outdated, all of it with the names of deceased mobsters. This was something that he was not proud of it but knew that it was the best he had, for now, he no longer had the resources of his superiors and knew that he had to rely on his own for now. 

"Charlie Pavanno, why does your name keep popping up? Almost as if you traveled to all the seven cities on such business that took you all over and somehow here you are, on my board and you are connected with your son. What business did you and your son have in Vegas?"

He wondered, he could see that this was something, maybe this had something to do with his father, and the mob, he did not know yet but he was going to find out, he looked over the paperwork and heard his office phone ringing out. He already knew who this was going to be.

"Charles, hello. How are you doing?"

He could already hear his friend and his worry, it warmed him that he still had a friend in Boyle, someone he knew would never betray him, someone who would betray the badge itself to bring him justice. That was the kind of man that Jake needed to associate with, he wondered, would Boyle help him?

"Boyle, I need your help, will you help with me this?"