Jack and Jubal exchanged a knowing look—they had finally found the key piece of the puzzle.
"What were they arguing about at the time?" Jubal pressed.
"He said, 'They messed up. They didn't announce themselves.'"
As Jack took notes, his gaze subtly observed Mr. Kubiak's expressions. "Gabriel was accusing the other officers on the scene?"
The man nodded. "I think so. The other officers looked really pissed at him. Two weeks later, my supervisor told me that Newark PD was investigating that drug raid and that I would be questioned.
He told me, 'That's their business. The less you remember, the better.'"
"So, he wanted you to forget what? The argument between Gabriel and the other officers?" Jack had a good idea of what had happened by now.
"Y-yes… So I lied. I told the investigators I didn't remember anything." Mr. Kubiak squeezed his eyes shut in regret.
Jubal took the whiskey bottle from his hand. "So you realized that your false testimony might have led to Gabriel's dismissal once the investigation was over."
"Yes… but I don't understand. If this is why he did it, why didn't he come after me? Tyler had nothing to do with any of this… Oh, God…"
Mr. Kubiak buried his face in his hands, collapsing onto the couch in despair.
"No punishment is more painful than losing your own child," Jubal murmured as they left.
Jack wasn't particularly sympathetic toward the paramedic. From their findings, Gabriel's targets weren't entirely random—he wasn't simply killing indiscriminately. However, his methods were far too extreme.
Every newcomer in the workplace gets hazed in some way—it's part of being thrown into the real world.
Most people grow up being told not to lie, to be honest and just. But once they enter society, they realize the world operates on entirely different rules.
Jack had experienced this firsthand in his previous life. Many people compromise by setting personal moral boundaries, choosing to "go with the flow" as long as those boundaries aren't crossed.
As they age, some lower their standards little by little—justifying it as "doing what needs to be done to survive." Others abandon their principles entirely, stepping on others to climb higher, seeing it as a natural part of life.
Being a cop is no different from other professions in this sense, except it comes with significantly greater risks. In an office job, screwing over a coworker might lead to getting punched or chewed out. In law enforcement, it could get you killed.
Especially in a place like the U.S., where being fired could mean becoming homeless overnight—once a person has nothing left to lose, they become unchained from all constraints.
Even though Kubiak had been vague, likely because he didn't know the full details, both Jack and Jubal could now piece the story together.
Gabriel was dismissed from Newark PD because he either did or tried to do something that went against the Blue Wall of Silence.
Peroni, the police captain, might have thought he was doing Gabriel a favor by quietly transferring him to a small-town department without a black mark on his record. He probably saw it as a reasonable, time-tested solution.
But he never expected to cross someone willing to take matters into his own hands to "clean up" the system.
"Our time is running out." Jack started the Hellcat. If Gabriel was already targeting the families of those involved, it meant he had completely abandoned his moral restraints. He wouldn't hesitate to take more innocent lives.
His ultimate goal was clearly Peroni and exposing the truth behind the raid. In the process, it was impossible to predict how many innocent people—including himself—would die.
"Do we visit Peroni first thing in the morning?" Jubal checked the time—it was already past 10 PM.
Jack made a sharp U-turn, heading back toward their command post. "I doubt he'll confess everything. I'd bet he already suspects something. After we left, he probably made arrangements."
"Like arranging protection for the officers involved and their families?"
Jubal's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and pointed ahead. "Drop me off at the next corner. My friend got the case files we need."
"Coming back tonight?" Jack smirked mischievously.
"Shut up. We're just friends," Jubal muttered, looking slightly flustered.
Jubal made it back to the command post before midnight, carrying a thick stack of police reports.
Yawning, Hannah placed a witness statement on the table. "The victim's widow insists, just like Gabriel, that the police never identified themselves. Her husband thought they were burglars and grabbed his gun to defend himself."
JJ, the most experienced in sifting through police reports, was flipping through the files. "This is one of the most half-assed investigations I've ever seen.
Newark PD claimed they received a 'reliable tip' about a drug lab inside the house. They got a warrant and launched the raid.
But no drug lab was found—just a half-empty bottle of illegally obtained painkillers."
Jubal sighed. "Because of Gabriel's report, Newark PD did investigate Peroni's division. But it was just for show—a few conflicting witness statements, a weak site report… They were desperate to sweep this under the rug.
Meanwhile, Gabriel, who refused to let it go, became the scapegoat."
Jack turned his laptop toward the others. "I think I found the trigger that set Gabriel off. About a week ago, the court dismissed the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the victim's family against Newark PD."
"And check this out—this is the dispatch record from that night." Aubrey held up another document.
"I found something odd. Kubiak's ambulance was called to the scene, but before that, another ambulance was originally sent to the same location—then canceled."
"What does that mean?" Clay grabbed the files, his eyes lighting up. "Hannah, can you pull up a map of Newark? Specifically, Desmond Street?"
"On it." Hannah quickly brought up a digital map of the area.
"The raid took place at 484 South Desmond Street, right?" Clay tapped the screen. "Well, guess what? There's also a 484 North Desmond Street.
Comparing the timeline, you can see that before the raid, an ambulance was preemptively dispatched to North 484.
Only after the raid started was Kubiak's ambulance redirected to South 484."
Jubal's eyes widened. "Wait… Are you saying the first ambulance was actually sent to the correct location—meaning the police might have raided the wrong house?"
(End of Chapter)
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