Chapter 2: The Art of the Pizza Sting
[Tuesday – 99th Precinct Bullpen – Day 8]
The bullpen was abuzz with activity, a controlled chaos that felt right at home. Jake, with a whiteboard and several markers, was outlining his grand plan for the pizza shop sting. He'd drawn a complex diagram with arrows, stick figures, and a lot of explosions. The words 'Die Hard' were scrawled in a triumphant box at the top.
"Alright, Adam, my masterpiece!" Jake announced, pointing a marker at him. "We're going in undercover as food critics, but we're actually looking for the Shadow Broker's network. I call it... Operation: Cheesy Die Hard!"
Oh, Jake. Never change. "Die Hard? Jake, it's pizza, not a heist. Let's keep it simple. Your perp left a fingerprint on the last coded note. I ran it through the system, and it belongs to a freelance delivery driver. He's working a shift at a pizza shop in Brooklyn. We need to go in and find out who he's meeting."
Amy, ever the pragmatist, was tapping her clipboard. "Adam has a point, Jake. We need evidence, not movie quotes. Where is the chain of custody for the fingerprint? Did you use a sterile swab? A fingerprint lift?"
Rosa, meanwhile, had been studying the data on her tablet. "Clue's solid, kid. Let's roll." She gave Adam a look that was almost a smile. It was the highest form of praise.
Charles, who had been meticulously arranging various pizza-themed snacks on his desk, offered a handful to the group. "Pizza puffs, anyone? For strategic sustenance!" One of the puffs, a particularly greasy one, slipped from his fingers and landed with a soft splat on Gina's perfectly manicured nails. She just stared at him, unblinking.
"Charles, your food choices are a tragic comedy," Gina deadpanned. "Jake, your pizza obsession's just sad. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a life to live." She walked off, leaving a trail of dramatic silence.
Adam's phone buzzed with an incoming message. It was a text from Taylor. A simple emoji: a slice of pizza. He smiled to himself. The world was full of chaos, but it was a familiar, comforting chaos now.
[Tuesday – MacLaren's Pub – 2:00 PM]
The afternoon at MacLaren's was quiet, a calm before the storm of a night that would feature both a police sting and a Barney-led charm offensive. Barney had Ted and Lily cornered in a booth, and he was explaining his elaborate plan.
"Adam," Barney said, gesturing dramatically. "I've challenged Jake to a bet. I bet I can get more phone numbers from patrons in this bar than he can by the end of the night. My charm is legendary!"
Legendary? Barney, not a sitcom yet. Wait…it is. Adam leaned on the bar, watching the scene unfold. "A bet, Barney? Against a cop? That's a bold strategy."
"Adam's right," Lily said, her eyes narrowed in a playful, scheming way. "Gina and I are planning a simultaneous sting to catch the perp here. We're calling it Operation: Wingman-Con. We're using the bait and switch to lure the perp into an interrogation. You're our distraction."
Ted, meanwhile, had just spilled his beer all over his white shirt. "This bet's just like my love life—doomed. A beautiful, tragic mess."
Gina, who had just walked into the bar, rolled her eyes so hard Adam thought she might break something. "Ted, your drama is too much." She looked at Barney. "Your bet is a crime against humanity, and a waste of my time."
[SYSTEM: Target: Bar Patron. Attraction: Casual Flirt. Task: Observe. Note: Do not interfere with canon.]
"Guys, the sting is at the bar," Adam said, cutting through the bickering. "We need to focus. If my theory is right, the Shadow Broker uses these places for recruitment. They look for people who are desperate for attention, a connection, a way to escape. Barney's bet is a perfect distraction."
Lily's eyes lit up. "Adam, you're our anchor. Let's get to work."
[Tuesday – Brooklyn Pizzeria – 7:00 PM]
The Brooklyn pizzeria was buzzing, the air thick with the scent of melted cheese and oregano. Adam and Jake were in a booth, Jake with a fake mustache and a notebook.
"Adam, pizza glory awaits!" Jake whispered, trying to look inconspicuous but failing miserably.
"Glory? Jake, don't jinx the sauce. We're looking for our perp, not a golden slice." Adam scanned the room, noticing a waiter who kept glancing at his phone. This was their guy.
Suddenly, a loud crunching sound echoed from a nearby corner. It was Charles, who had somehow managed to sneak into the pizzeria and was now devouring a slice of pizza, a look of pure bliss on his face. He was making so much noise he was causing a dog to bark in the street.
"My pizza's stealthy!" Charles insisted, crumbs flying from his mouth.
Hitchcock and Scully, also on stakeout, were sitting at a table with an absurd amount of garlic knots. "I remember a pizza theft in '87," Hitchcock said, wiping grease from his chin. "Thief was obsessed with anchovies. Messy case."
Adam just shook his head. "Charles, your pizza's a siren. And Jake, that's not our guy. Our perp is the one who's been using the back room to meet a contact." He pulled out a receipt, which he'd managed to discreetly pick up from the trash. The ink was a unique blend, and on the back was a scrawled symbol—the same one from the coded note.
[SYSTEM: Clue Found: Shadow Broker's Symbol. Halloween Heist.]