HEY :)
SO HERE WE ARE.
THE SEQUEL OF 'DYING TO HOLD YOU.' AND WE LAUNCH INTO THE ACTION STRAIGHT AWAY. :)
HOPE YOU ENJOY THE FIRST CHAPTER.
PLEASE R&R I VALUE YOU REVIEWS AND IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO RECEIVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.
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-xx DYING GAME xx-
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-xCHAPTER 1x-
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Mac stared angrily across at the filing cabinet in the corner. Tom Ramsay was still out there somewhere and the very thought of it continued to gnaw away at him. He rose from his chair and walked up to the cabinet, unlocked it and brought out Ramsay's Case File. He stared down at it for several seconds, then started flicking through it once again, trying to find something he'd missed. A few minutes later, he was cursing under his breath, pushing the file back into the cabinet and slamming the heavy metal drawer shut behind him. God he felt totally exasperated. It was hopeless. They had hardly anything on this guy and they were at a stupid dead end, yet again!
In the last couple of months, several members of the public had reported sightings of Tom Ramsay. One was a Sandra Millhouse. She worked at a cafe just outside Baltimore at Upper Fells Point. She told Police she saw him along Eastern Avenue. George took several units up there and they scoured the area for a whole week, but couldn't find him.
Another, was a William Danton. He phoned the station and said he'd seen Ramsay in Hampden. Teams of Officers from the local P.D searched the woodland, several derelict warehouses nearby, and asked around the neighborhood. No one else had seen him.
Samantha Ellis was another person who called in. She told George, she saw Tom Ramsay down Willards Street.
Next there was Norman Whitford. He said he was 99.9% sure, Ramsay was walking around, smack bang in the centre of Mid town late one night . . . and the list went on.
Then about ten days ago, a Harold Wilcox contacted the Police. Apparently, he'd spotted Ramsay by the lake at Druid Hill Park. Not feeling too confident he'd find anything, George headed down there with a Search Team. The team split up into several groups and began to search the whole Park, and George showed Ramsay's photo around town. To his amazement and relief, over thirty people came forward and reported seeing a guy matching Ramsay's description, walking along the high street last Friday evening. George took Immediate action and called in another Search Unit. Extra Police Officers from the local Police Department also came down and helped with the search.
Finally Mac got a call from George yesterday evening. He told him, several hair traces and a partial fingerprint belonging to Tom Ramsay had been discovered in a small rundown cabin at the far side of the lake, but the cabin was empty and he was long gone. What had Mac really on edge though, was what had been discovered in the back room of the cabin. Apparently, several newspaper clippings of Mac and Jo had been found on the wall and it looked like Ramsay had used a blade and slammed it into their pictures several times. So far this latest information hadn't been given to the NYPD, but he suspected they would be filled in on the latest developments very soon. Dammit! The last thing he wanted was for Jo to find out.
He was torn from his thoughts by a tap on the door. He whirled around and saw her step into his office.
"Hey. I'm off . . ." Jo stopped dead in her tracks and gazed across at him. "You okay?"
He quickly turned back and locked up the cabinet. "I'm fine."
She continued to gaze at him for several seconds. He'd been kind of distant and distracted all day. "Are you sure?"
He smiled back at her. "Of course I am. Now what were you going to say?" he asked, as he walked back to his desk.
She sighed inwardly. He was definitely keeping something from her. "I'm . . . going to meet up with Diane. I'll see you later." She started for the door.
"Wait! You're going now?!"
Immediately, Jo turned back and saw the anxiety flicker in his eyes. She frowned inwardly. "I'm . . . meeting up with Diane Hall tonight. I told you Tuesday."
Ah crap! He'd forgotten. He chucked the paperwork back in the in-tray and grabbed his jacket from behind the chair. "I'll come with you."
She raised her eyebrows. "But . . .you came with me and met her a couple of weeks ago."
"Yea. So?"
"You were bored."
"I wasn't bored." He lied.
Jo sighed. "Mac. She just wants to meet with me tonight."
"Why?"
"You know I told you that I located her missing father back in Baltimore?"
"Yea?" Mac started pacing around his office.
Jo's frown deepened. "Uh . . .He's living at her place now and he's not an easy guy to get on with. I think she might just need to talk these issues through."
Mac whirled around to her. "Jo. I dont want you to go out tonight."
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Why?"
Dammit! "Because . . . I was planning on taking you out."
"You were?"
"Yea. . . I was."
She gazed at him for a long moment. "That's really sweet, but can't it wait until tomorrow night? It takes Diane hours to drive down here and she's come especially to see me."
Mac released a long, pent up breath and dragged his hand through his hair. "Yea sure. . . It can wait until tomorrow night." He murmured.
"Mac."
He glanced back at her. "Yep?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're hiding something from me aren't you?"
Mac suddenly felt like a deer caught in headlights. Oh God. What am I suppose to say now? He took the cowards way out and feigned ignorance. "No . . . No I just. . .I thought it would be . . ."
"Please. . . Just stop." She interrupted. She fixed him with a stubborn, determined gaze. "We're going to talk about this when I get back later. I'll be home at 23:00." She turned quickly and headed for the door.
He stared anxiously back at her. "23:00? Do you have to be out for three hours?!"
She stopped in the doorway and glanced exasperatedly back at him. "Yes. I do."
"But. . . where are you going?"
"Mac. What's wrong with you?" Feeling both confused and angry now, she marched out of his office and slammed the door behind her.
Mac released a heavy breath and watched her walk quickly across the corridor and into the elevator. The moment the doors slid shut behind her, he pulled on his jacket, bolted out of his office and took the stairs.
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Mac had got her wound so tight, she'd ended up circling the block for ten minutes trying to cool off before finally arriving outside 230 Fifth. She and Diane had planned to meet here, have a quick drink, then decide whether they'd stay, or move onto somewhere else depending on how busy it got. She took a deep breath, then got out of her car and walked into the bar.
She looked around and was pleased to see that the place was pretty quiet, but there was no sign of Diane. Jo glanced down at her watch. She was over five minutes late and had half expected Diane to be here already. Maybe she'd got caught up in traffic? Jo decided to order a juice while she was waiting and she walked to the bar and perched on one of the stools. She glanced up at the bartender who was now coming toward her. "Hi . . ."
"Are you Jo Danville?" the bartender interrupted.
She glanced up at him. "Uh. . . Yea."
He smiled. "A guy came in about 15 minutes ago and said you would probably be here at around 20:00 searching for someone." He grabbed a glass from the counter. "I guessed it was you."
Jo smile slowly faded.
"He asked me to get you a glass of Iced water when you came in."
She frowned as she watched the bartender start to fill the empty glass with ice.
He grinned back at her. "You like a lot of Ice too. Huh?"
She stared back at him, totally baffled as he finished filling the glass with Ice, then he grabbed the bottled spring water from the fridge and pulled out a white envelope from his back pocket. "He also asked me to give you this and to tell you that he's very sorry, but Diane has somewhere important she has to be tonight."
Jo snatched it out of his hand. "Uh . . . Thanks." She stared back at the glass of Ice for several more seconds, then moved quickly away from the bar, tore open the envelope and pulled out a scrap of paper. On one side, it looked like someone had drawn one of those red gaming chips, the kind you see at the casino's, but this one had a small yellow star drawn on it. She turned the scrap of paper over. It read;
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Hey Jo.
Let's play a game.
Here's your clue.
Hmm. . . Where could Diane be?
You better find her quickly, or she dies.
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Jo's breath hitched in her throat and her heartbeat suddenly rocketed in her chest.
The bartender finished pouring the water into her glass and glanced back at her. God. She'd turned as white as a sheet. "Are you okay?"
She tore her eyes from the note and met his concerned gaze. "Did this guy give you his name?"
He frowned slightly. "No."
She walked quickly back to the bar. "Where was he standing?" She asked urgently.
"Just here." He replied, pointing at the stool next to hers.
Jo grabbed the phone from her pocket and gazed anxiously back at him. "What's your name?"
"Luke Fellingham."
"Luke. Did you get a look at this guy?"
"I . . . didn't see much of his face. He was wearing a black baseball hat and an oversized khaki Jacket, with the collar pulled right up around his neck, but he definitely had dark hair. . . dark brown, maybe black, Dark eyes . . . and he had a very pale complexion . . . Just like yours." he replied anxiously.
She stepped back from the bar, pushed down on the numbers and pressed her phone to her ear. "Hi. This is Detective Jo Danville. I need several units down here at 230 Fifth." She sighed inwardly. "Yes Rob. It's me. . . Yea I'm fine." . . . She raised her voice. "No! Nothing's happened! Nothing's going to happen!" . . ." She stopped mid sentence and stared down the phone for a long moment, then she rubbed at her forehead and started pacing. "Yea I'm . . . still here." . . . She released a long breath. "I was suppose to meet a friend tonight, but a guy came into the bar about ten minutes ago and gave Luke Fellingham, one of the Bartenders who works here, a white envelope. He asked Luke to give it to me when I came in." She felt the fear and panic rise up in her. "Rob. There was a note. . . No. . . Look If I don't find her quickly, he'll kill her. Just get down here and seal off the whole bar area. Luke Fellingham can give you a description on this guy. I have to go." She hung up on him and forced herself to focus. "Luke. I have to leave, but some Officers are on their way here. They'll be with you in a couple of minutes."
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Mac reclined his seat and glanced back across the road at the bar. He hated lying to her. He wasgonna have to tell her what George Brooks and the Search Team had discovered in Druid Hill Park.Then of course he would have to come clean about the fact he'd stayed in contact with George Brooks and followed this case very closely, when the sheriff had specifically ordered all of them to stay well away from it. He shook his head. Nice one Mac. You've really landed yourself in it now.
Suddenly he saw Jo come running out of the bar and his heart started hammering in his chest. Quickly he slid his window down. "Jo!"
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Jo dived in her car, started the engine and accelerated down Fifth Avenue.
Okay. What's the most popular Casino in Manhattan?. . . Big Eastern!
She took the first right, skidded around the corner on two wheels, then grabbed her phone from her pocket. I need to call Mac. But before she had a chance to press speed dial it started trilling in he hand. She checked caller ID and quickly slammed it onto the hands free device. "Mac?" She heard the sound of several car horns and her eyes flashed back at the road. "Oh God!" She slammed down on the brakes, turned the wheel sharply and narrowly missed slamming into the back of several cars.
Mac's eyes widened. "Crap!" He hit the brakes. "Jo! Stop the car!"
She stared down at the phone for several seconds, then quickly glanced in her rear-view mirror. "You're behind me?"
He muttered under his breath. "Just draw up at the side of the road."
"No. You don't understand. I have to get to 753 E 5th Street now."
"Why are you heading for the Casino?" He asked, suddenly confused.
"I have to find her before it's too late!" She answered frantically.
Unease crawled up Mac's spine. He looked back at the road and forced himself to calm down. "Jo. You can't drive in this state. Now just pull over."
She swallowed hard as the pressure started building behind her eyelids. "I can't. . . There's no time."
Mac cursed inwardly and slammed his foot down on the gas.
Jo glanced quickly back at the rear-view mirror, her eyes widening as she watched Mac tear out onto the wrong lane and overtake several cars as he sped toward her. "What are you doing?!" She looked back at the road and saw a white truck speeding around the corner. Fear gripped her heart. "Mac. Get off the lane!" She slammed her foot on the brake pedal and skidded to a stop, as the car horns blarred loudly around her.
Mac inhaled sharply when he saw the white truck heading right for him. Dammit! He floored the accelerator, managed to get passed Jo's car and turned back into the right lane, mere seconds before the truck tore passed, the driver angrily honking his horn at him.
Jo stared out the front windscreen at Mac as he skidded to a stop in front of her and jumped out of the Avalanche.
She wrenched open her car door and stepped out onto the road. "What were you trying to do? Get yourself killed?!"
Quickly, he walked up to her and gently gripped her shoulders. "Jo. You need to calm down and breathe."
She pushed back the emotions and tried to take some steady breaths.
"You Okay?"
"Mac I'm fine. We have to go now." She tried to pull away.
He gripped her shoulders more firmly. "You're not calm and you're not fine. I need you to tell me whats going on right now."
She stared back at him for several seconds, then sighing heavily, she pulled the white envelope out of her pocket.
Mac grabbed a disposable glove, took the envelope from her hand and quickly pulled out the note.
"I walked into the bar. Diane wasn't there so I decided to go and order a drink while I waited." Jo dragged her fingers through her hair and started pacing. "One of the bartenders, a Luke Fellingham handed me that envelope. He said a guy entered the bar fifteen minutes before I got there, so that would have been around 19:50. He asked Luke to give me the envelope and told him to say . . . that Diane couldn't make it."
Mac stared down at the note and fear sent and icy chill through his spine. He turned the paper over and saw the small drawing. "You're thinking this is a gaming chip?"
"I don't know. I've never seen one with a yellow star on top of it. Have you?" She asked.
"It's a rough drawing Jo. It could be anything." he sighed.
"I know, but we've got to start somewhere."
Jo went to take it back, but he raised it out of her reach and pointed to his glove. "It's evidence now."
She rubbed at her forehead. "Fine. I'm going to the Casino. I'll meet you there." She was just about to get in her car, when she felt Mac grip her arm. She spun back to him. "What?" she asked exasperatedly.
"You're not driving. You're coming in my car."
"Mac. I'm calm now and totally capable of . . ."
"Lets go." he interrupted.
She rolled her eyes and let him drag her to the Avalanche.
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Don drew to a stop outside 230 Fifth and pressed his phone to his ear. "Wait a minute. Did you just tell me, Jo called this one in?"
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Ethan walked out of the bar and across to Mike. "Hey. Have you managed to reach Mac yet?"
"Nope. Slightly worrying if you ask me. Mac always answers his phone." Mike pointed up the road. "Don's just turned up though."
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Don swore inwardly and gripped the phone tightly in his hand. "Do we know who this guy is?" . . .
Dammit. He stepped out of his car and slammed the door shut behind him. "I'm going in to find her now Rob." He started to walk along the side walk, but only managed several steps before coming to an abrupt stop. "She took off?" . . . "Well where the hell did she go?" . . . "Have you tried phoning her?" . . . He muttered under his breath. "Fine. I'll see if I can get through to her." . . . "Yea I will. And if you get anything, call me back immediately." He hung up and gazed across at the bar. God. I have bad feeling about this.
Ethan jogged up to Don. "Hey. We've got everyone out of there and cordoned off the whole area."
"Okay. That's Good."
"Don. Have you called Mac recently?"
Don glanced around at him. "No. I asked you to call him, remember?"
"Yea and I did, but I can't get hold of him. Neither can Mike." Ethan answered.
His eyes widened. "What?"
"I've tried several times, but his phone keeps going to voice mail. So I've called Danny Instead. He'll be down here in the next five minutes with Lindsay and Sheldon."
Don frowned down at his phone. "Okay. I'll see you inside." he murmured.
Ethan glanced at him for several more seconds. "Is everything okay?"
Don met Ethan's anxious gaze. "No. . . It isn't."
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The traffic was bad but Mac had taken a few short cuts and they'd managed to get to E 5th Street within fifteen minutes. They tore through the doors and Jo spotted one of the staff behind a roulette table. She grabbed Mac's arm. "Over here." she pointed.
Mac followed her across the floor toward him and brought out the scrap of paper he now had sealed up in a plastic bag.
Jo brought out her badge. "This is Detective Mac Taylor and I'm Detective Jo Danville."
The guy pushed out a long, weary breath. "We are licensed here you know? I'll go and get the paperwork." he muttered.
"That's not what we're here for." Mac held the scrap of paper up in front of him. "Do you recognise this? Is it some kind of flashy gaming chip?"
He looked closer at the picture and frowned. "It looks like a gaming chip." He glanced back at Mac. "But it isn't."
Jo closed her eyes and leaned her elbows on the table. God. She felt so anxious she thought she might throw up any second.
"Wait a minute. The guy gazed at the picture for several more seconds. That's a red counter from an old checkers set."
Jo pulled away from the table. "What?"
"Well actually it's variant of draughts and checkers. It was invented by the second world chess champion Emanuel Lasker. The game's known as 'Laska,' or 'Laskers.'
Mac frowned back at Jo. "What can this mean?" Suddenly his phone trilled in his pocket. He brought it out and pressed it to his ear. "Hey" . . . "Don I'm fine" . . . "It's okay. She's here with me. Just hang on a second."
Jo stared back at the drawing. "Laska . . . Laskers." She whispered. Suddenly her mind flashed back to the Glass of Iced water Luke had given her at the bar. Ice . . . Her eyes widened. "Ice!"
Mac moved quickly toward her. "Jo? What is it?"
Her eyes flashed back at his. "We're in the wrong place. He's taken her to Laskers Ice Rink in Central Park."
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NEXT CHAPTER YOU'LL FIND OUT IF THEY FIND DIANE.
THEN HOW DON AND THE CSI TEAM REACT WHEN THEY FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENED.
AND HOPEFULLY I'LL BE ABLE TO SNEAK A JO/ MAC ROMANTIC LOVE SCENE IN THERE SOMEWHERE :) SEEING AS I'VE PROMISED YOU MORE MAC/JO INTIMATE MOMENTS.