Chapter One
Thursday 2:00am
Jack awoke from a dream that had been haunting him for months. He knew he couldn't get back to sleep, so he showered, shaved, got dressed, and headed out for the office, choosing to take a cab.
Walking slowly across the lobby, he waved at Larry and proceeded up to the twelfth floor. After hanging up his topcoat on the rack in the corner of the office, he went into the kitchenette and fixed himself a cup of coffee. He walked back to his office and pulled a jump drive from his desk drawer. Plugging into his computer, his office was filled with Norah Jones. Sam had made him a CD of some of her favourite rainy day music and he loaded it onto the portable device. Soon, he was unaware of the music, instead, putting his attention to the stack of papers in his inbox.
Four hours later, he was all but falling asleep. Rubbing his eyes, he stopped the music program and took off his suit jacket. Loosening his tie, he stretched out on the couch in his office. It felt as if he fell asleep immediately, but with his sleep came his dreams. He woke up a quick ten minutes later, his face covered in sweat, the collar of his shirt soaked. Growling at his fatigue and the dream, he sat up and then stood. Slipping on his suit jacket, he tightened his tie and headed upstairs to see Glenn.
"Agent Malone, you're early," Glenn's secretary commented as he entered the office.
"Yes, I know, just running ahead of schedule today. Would you mind if I just sat here?"
"No, of course not. Dr. Bradley should be here in twenty minutes or so," she said, watching him sit on the sofa before carefully putting his cast onto the low table in front of him.
He picked up a magazine and then fought sleep until he couldn't do it anymore. The magazine slipped through his fingers to the floor as his muscles relaxed.
Glenn walked into his office and saw his secretary with her finger up to her lips indicating silence. Following her gaze, Glenn saw Jack asleep on the reception couch.
"How long has he been here?"
"About twenty minutes,"
"Let me get organized and I'll come and get him."
"Okay."
Glenn walked into his office. He turned on the water fountain and paused to listen as the water fell down the slate. He pulled Jack's file and set it on his desk. Lastly, he took his NY Giants mug and walked to the reception area for a fresh cup of Peet's. After adding milk and sugar, he reached for Jack's shoulder.
"Let's go, Jack.
Jack opened his eyes and wiped his face. He got to his feet slowly and followed Glenn into his office.
"I don't mean this as an insult, but you look awful. Aside from sleeping on my couch, did you get any sleep?"
"No, not really," Jack said, standing at the other end of the room.
"Why not?"
Jack paused, not responding.
"Jack?"
"I…I keep remembering something someone said to me."
"I don't understand."
Jack took an uneven breath as he remembered that afternoon almost a year ago. He and Max were sitting on the floor of the garage. Max leaned over to him, fighting the pain from the bullet wound.
"Promise me, you'll take care of Anne," Max said.
"Take care of her yourself," Jack answered.
Max collapsed against Jack and he knew his friend was dead.
Glenn knew all of this already, having read Jack's statement.
"Jack, I don't understand."
Jack turned, his face red from emotion, his hands in fists.
"I didn't take care of her," he said softly.
Glenn looked at Jack, trying to figure out what to say to calm him. This was the cause of the problem; he had broken a promise.
"Jack, I hardly think you could have protected her from her miscarriage."
"What about Alan Davis? I let him take her," Jack said, his voice rising.
"Funny, I seem to remember that you had a rotten cold and ended up with a bunch of loose teeth."
Jack sat heavily in the nearest chair and closed his eyes.
"I can't do this," he whispered.
Glenn sat forward in his chair.
"Can't do what, Jack?"
"This, I need her in my life."
"It's been three weeks since you left the hospital. Have you been writing your letters to her?"
"Yes."
"Good, I think it's time she sees them. I'll call Dr. Chesny and see if she concurs."
"What will that do?" Jack asked, almost asleep.
"Hopefully she'll see she's not the only one in pain," Glenn said, looking at his watch.
It was just eight o'clock. Glenn wrote his notes on Jack's session and read his emails. Jack slept silently.
8:45am
"Jack? Time to wake up and catch bad guys."
Jack opened his eyes and got to his feet.
"I'll get back to you about your letters," Glenn added.
"Thanks."
"Take it easy, Jack. You're no help to her if you're a mess."
Jack nodded and left Glenn's office, his cast making a noise on the floor, heading for the elevator. The doors opened and Sam walked right into him.
"Sorry, Jack."
"My fault, Sam."
"Jack, PD just called. They have a hit on one of your cold cases," Sam said, following him into the elevator.
Jack didn't respond, instead he stood staring intently at the floor numbers.
"Jack? Are you okay? Should you go home?"
Suddenly, Jack perked up, pressing the button for the twelfth floor.
"What? No, I mean, I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't sleep much and I need more coffee."
"Grab your coat, I'll drive."
"Where?"
"Just, get your coat, Jack. I'll explain on the way over," Sam said, walking into the bullpen to get her coat.
He did as he was told and then waited for her at the elevator. She arrived a few minutes later and they got in, heading for the garage. Sam unlocked the doors electronically and got into the car. Jack followed suit, putting on his seat belt.
"Okay, Jack. These are the highlights," Sam said, handing him a printout as she started the engine.
He took the paper and started to read it. The facts of the case, six years old, came back to him quickly. Alex Wood was Kate's age. When he was three, he disappeared from a neighbourhood park.
Recently, PD had followed a lead about a suspected child molester and a missing boy. They arrested one Henry Irwin, and found the boy unharmed. As the apartment was processed, they found several DNA hits. Running them through CODIS, one sample kicked back a hit to Jack's case.
"Where are we going?" Jack asked finally.
"You've been asked to go to PD and interview Irwin about Alex Wood's DNA."
Jack looked again at the photo of the missing child and the computer generated estimation of what he would look like now.
"Can we go to the apartment first?" he asked, softly.
She turned to look at him, but he wouldn't meet her gaze.
"Sure, Jack," She said, turning at the next light to head to the lower east side.
His left hand was on the armrest and his right one massaged his forehead.
"You okay?" She asked, looking at him while stopped at a red light.
"What? Uhm, yeah, I'm fine."
She covered his left hand with her right and squeezed it for a moment before returning it to the steering wheel. A few minutes later, they arrived at a neat red brick building. Sam parked and got out of the car, waiting for Jack to do the same. It was still difficult to stand up with his cast.
Flashing their badges at the uniformed officer, they walked into the building and then climbed the stairs to the second floor. Again, they flashed their badges and proceeded into the apartment. Jack stood in the center of the first room and slowly absorbed what he saw.
"When did they arrest Irwin?"
"Yesterday."
"Fast lab work."
"Yeah; kids."
The first room; a combination living room/ dining room/ kitchen looked as though several kids lived there. Toys were on the table, couch and floor. A set of building blocks were stacked against the wall next to a first generation Nintendo and a stuffed rabbit. The refrigerator had letter magnets and calendars with gold stars.
Jack went into the bedroom. There was a queen sized bed and in the corner a cot with toys underneath it. Pulling out his handkerchief, Jack opened a cabinet and found a television with a VCR. Looking again round the room, he saw the camera hidden in the valance of the venitian blinds.
Sam walked into the bedroom and found Jack leaning against the wall, his eyes shut tightly.
"What's wrong, Jack?"
"Sick bastard filmed whatever went on in here," he said softly.
"Let's go, Jack," Sam suggested, tugging at his elbow.
He followed her quietly, taking his time on the stairs, until they got outside into the cold air. He sat on the top step, trying to collect his thoughts. She sat next to him, their shoulders touching and waited. Five minutes later, she began to get cold.
"Jack, come on. Let's go to the 7th Precinct and see this guy."
"He's not in the Tombs?"
"He was, but they brought him up when they found Alex's DNA."
"Okay."
Sam got to her feet and extended her hand to him. He took it, but since he out-weighed her by fifty pounds, he didn't really pull her to get to his feet. They reached the car, got in, and drove in silence to the precinct house. Clipping their badges on their coats, they walked in to see the desk sergeant.
"Second floor, ask for Detective Devlin. Sorry there's no elevator, Agent Malone."
"Me, too," Jack replied as they started up the stairs.
Sam walked into the squad room and Jack limped in a few steps behind her.
"May I help you?" a young man asked.
"Agents Spade and Malone. We're with the FBI. We're here to see Detective Devlin."
"Sure, one minute," he said, picking up his phone receiver to use the intercom.
"Jerry, the FBI are here. Right, okay. Go back into the hallway, second door on the left, room 219"
"Thanks," Sam said as she led the way again.
They stood outside the door and Sam turned to face Jack.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Let's go," he said, his voice gruff from fatigue.
She knocked and they walked in. A large black man in shirtsleeves and a shoulder holster was leaning against the wall. Sitting at the table in the center of the room, was a pudgy pale-faced man with stringy blonde hair. His left hand was handcuffed to his chair, which was bolted to the floor.
"Jerry Devlin," the detective said, extending his hand.
"Agents Spade and Malone, FBI.
"Pleased to meet you. Henry's been a little nervous about you guys comin' here, haven't you, Henry?"
"May I ask him a couple of questions?" Jack asked, the tension in his voice evident.
"Yeah, but go easy. We had to send him to the hospital yesterday. He gets panic attacks," Devlin said softly.
Slowly, Jack removed his coat and set it on an empty chair in the corner. He took his badge and transferred it to his suit jacket. Finally, he reached deep into his topcoat pocket for the computer generated fact sheet.
"Mr. Irwin, I'm Jack Malone from the FBI. This is my colleague, Agent Spade. We wanted to talk to you about Alex Wood."
"Who?" Irwin asked, his voice squeaky and high-pitched.
Deliberately, Jack unfolded the sheet showing the photo of Alex and what the computer figured he looked like now.
"This is Alex Wood. At some point, he was in your apartment."
"Mr. Irwin, we have his DNA. Why don't you tell us what we want to know?" Sam asked.
Irwin fidgeted in his chair. Jack reached up and loosened his tie, before undoing the top button on his shirt.
"Detective, what did the boy you found in Mr. Irwin's apartment look like?" Jack asked, his voice soft and enticing.
"Brice Larson, age four, blonde, blue eyes."
"Just like Alex. Did Brice remember seeing him?"
"Brice is blind, Agent Malone."
Jack reached his right hand under the table to his chair and tried to channel his anger through his hand.
"But Alex wasn't blind. Alex was perfect. He was a happy youngster. Do you remember, Henry? Do you remember what a good boy he was?" Jack asked, looking at the pedophile in the chair opposite him.
A slow smile came across Henry's face. He closed his eyes at the memory.
"You do remember him, don't you? He was a good boy; did whatever you wanted. So, Henry, where's Alex now?" Jack coaxed.
Everyone watched the transformation as Henry remembered Alex. His body relaxed and he appeared to calm at the memory.
"Travis."
"Beg your pardon?" Sam asked.
"I called him, Travis. Told people he was my nephew. He was a good boy."
"Tell me what happened, Henry," Jack asked, now feeling the sweat stream down his back as the dread started to seep in.
"At the end, he wasn't a good boy."
"What do you mean?" Jack asked, his voice getting harder and menacing.
"He just didn't want to," Henry squeaked.
Jack was out of his chair like a shot, looming over Henry, as he couldn't move from his chair.
"Enough! Where is he?"
"Basement, he's in my basement," Henry squeaked again.
"Jesus, Malone. You made him piss himself," Devlin complained.
Jack glared at him before grabbing his coat and leaving the room. Sam picked up the printout and followed him side by side as they left the precinct house and hurried to the car.
"Damnit! We were there!" Jack said, as Sam started the engine.
Sam looked at him but didn't say anything. She knew he was upset about Anne, but she also knew how much pedophiles upset him. Ten minutes later, they arrived outside the apartment building. Grabbing the large Maglite from the glove compartment, Jack entered the building. They found the super's apartment and knocked.
"FBI, open the door," Jack said loudly.
The door opened and a man with snow white hair peered out.
"Yes?"
I'm Agent Jack Malone of the FBI, and this is my colleague, Agent Spade. We need access to the basement."
"Do you have a warrant?"
"No, what I have is you on suspicion of child endangerment," Sam said.
"Oh, all right. Let me get my keys," the man said, reaching for a large key ring hanging from a hook on the wall.
He walked out of the apartment and Jack and Sam followed closely on his heels. They walked down a narrow, creaking staircase until they were in the basement. The super opened a door and he reached for a string to turn on the lights.
"Odd, shouldn't be burned out."
Jack turned on his flashlight and quickly started to search the room. Sam turned on her mini Maglite and did the same.
"Jack, I think I found something."
He walked up to her and saw a Mounds bar wrapper in front of a door. Reaching for the handle, he tried it, but it was locked.
"Open it," Jack ordered.
"I can't. Henry has the key. Said he needed to store some things," the super said.
Noting that the door opened in, Jack turned and lowered his shoulder. After three attempts, the door gave way. There, in the corner, was a child. He put his arms up to protect himself.
"Alex, we're with the FBI. You're safe, now," Sam said, flashing her light onto him.
The child opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out.
"Sam, wait, take this," Jack said, handing her his larger flashlight.
Jack walked up to the boy and got down on one knee. Finally, he took the boy's hand and gently put it on his face. The boy placed his other hand on Jack's face, feeling his five o'clock shadow, hair, and suit collar. Slowly, the arms went around Jack's neck as Jack slowly stood. The boy weighed nothing. They walked out of the room and the boy buried his face into Jack's neck. Carefully, they got up the stairs and into the car.
"NYU, Sam."
"You got it."
Jack noticed for the first time what the boy was wearing; Garanimals, three sizes too small. Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to the ER. Sam opened the door and helped Jack get to his feet. The boy hadn't uttered a sound. His long dirty hair masked his face, which he still hid.
"Can you help me?" Jack asked a resident.
"Sure, what's wrong with her?" the resident, who, according to the nameplate on his lab coat was called McGregor.
"First of all, it's a boy. Secondly, he's been held captive for six years. The man who kidnapped him is in custody, but we have to be careful with the evidence."
"I understand," Dr. MacGregor said, reaching for the boy.
The boy struggled and wouldn't let go.
"Stop!' Jack said forcefully. "We'll all go. I think he has some sensory deprivation issues. We found him in a pitch dark basement room where he had been for several days, judging by his appearance."
"Okay, let me get Gary. He's our peds guy. Just go into the first enclosure."
Jack nodded, getting a better grip on the boy. His right hand was firmly on his back and his left arm supported the boy's bottom. Thin legs tried to wrap around Jack's waist. Jack paced back and forth, humming softly as he rubbed circles on the boy's back. Soon the arms that had a death grip were dangling at his sides as he fell asleep.
"Hi, I'm Gary Jenkins. What do we have here?"
"I'm Jack Malone with the FBI. This young man, I believe is Alex Wood, age nine, who was kidnapped when he was three."
"Wow, I take it you have the kidnapper?"
"Yes, but in order for us to build a case, we need to protect the evidence."
"I understand. Is CSU on their way?"
"Yes," Sam said, as she entered the room.
"This is Special Agent Spade."
"Okay, I'll take him, Agent Malone," Gary said softly, gently taking the sleeping boy from Jack and laying him on the gurney.
Jack and Sam stood to the side as different nurses came in to assist. Twenty minutes later, a young woman entered with a tackle box.
"I'm Margaret Hilson, CSU. Detective Devlin sent me to collect evidence."
"This is Alex Wood. His clothes are in that evidence bag. Behind you, Agents Malone and Spade are from the FBI."
"Ms. Hilson," Jack started.
"Please call me, Meg."
"Meg, we need DNA and fingerprints to confirm Alex's identity. I can't call his parents without being sure."
"Don't worry. I'll be thorough."
"Thanks."
"Jack, why don't you guys wait outside? I'll come and find you," Meg suggested.
Sam tugged at Jack's sleeve and practically dragged him from the enclosure. They found two chairs and sat down. Jack tried, but a groan escaped anyway.
"Jack?"
"I'm fine. My ankle hurts."
"Gee, I can't think why. Do you want some aspirin?"
"Yes, please, Sam."
'Okay, tough guy, hang on, I'll be right back."
Jack nodded, closing his eyes and leaning back so his head touched the wall. Minutes later, he felt two small hands searching his face.
"Hello, Alex," Jack said, softly, opening his eyes.
"He's slippery," Gary said, walking up to them. "Can you come with us, Jack? You seem to have a bond with him."
Standing, Jack scooped up Alex, feeling the boy's ribs easily through the hospital gown. This time, Alex explored Jack's hair, pulling it occasionally.
"Ow," Jack said, smiling.
"The head of Peds psychology is coming down for a consult. Child Protective Services is sending someone, as well," Gary said as Jack placed Alex back on the bed.
Alex held on to Jack's right index finger, so Jack stood to the right of the bed. He looked at Alex, noticing that someone had cleaned him up. Alex's eyes were reddened.
"So far, conjunctivitis in both eyes, so wash your hands really well. Trauma to the vocal cords."
"From screaming."
"Probably, I don't have x-rays back, but cursory exam shows more that the normal childhood scars on his hands and legs."
"Can he hear?"
"Yes, but he seems to be terrified of loud noises. Jill dropped a tray of instruments, that's when he came out to find you."
"So where do we go from here?" Jack asked.
"As soon as Dr. Barrett examines him, I want to give him a mild sedative and then start some IVs. He's really small for nine. At the same time, we'll start treatment to his eyes. I took a blood panel, but it's not back yet. So…if you wouldn't mind hanging around until Dr. Barrett is done?"
"Not a problem."
"Jack, here's your aspirin," Sam said, walking in with a paper cup and three aspirin.
He swallowed them dry and chased them with water.
"Thanks, Sam."
"You're welcome."
"Here's a chair, Jack. If you don't mind me saying, you look dead on your feet. Skiing accident?" Gary asked, pointing to the cast.
"No," Jack replied quietly, trying not to think about it.
Sam stood behind him and gently began to knead his shoulders, knowing that they got tight quickly.
"I'll be right back, I just need to update Alex's chart."
Ten minutes later, a woman with wiry bright red hair walked into the room.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Barrett. Are you the parents?"
"No, Jack Malone and Samantha Spade, FBI. We're working on the positive ID before bringing in the parents. He was kidnapped six years ago," Jack answered.
"I see. All right. I'd like to examine Alex alone."
Jack started to stand and Alex rolled to his knees, his arms in the air, waiting to be picked up.
"You need to talk to this nice lady, okay? Do you want me to stay?"
Alex nodded vigorously.
"Okay, now get back into bed or you'll get a cold."
Alex settled under the covers as Jack sat in the chair.
"Alex, my name is Dr. Barrett."
"My name is Travis," the boy whispered.
"I'm sorry, I'll correct that. What is the name of the man who raised you?"
"Uncle Henry."
"Very good. Now, Travis, why were you in the basement?"
"I said no."
"How many days were you in the basement?
"I don't know. It was dark."
"Do you go to school?"
"No, Uncle Henry teaches me at home."
Jack shifted in his chair and Sam put a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Did Uncle Henry hurt you?"
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"Did he ever touch your privates?"
Tears started down Alex's face and he pulled the sheet over his head. Jack snuck his left pinkie to the side of the small hand. It grabbed his finger and in one move, Alex launched himself to hold onto Jack. His tears turned to silent sobs. Dr. Barrett wrote some notes and left them alone. Five minutes later, Gary returned to see Alex asleep in Jack's arms.
"I just got off the phone with Meg. This is Alex Wood."
"He thinks his name is Travis." Sam said, softly.
"Well, I'm admitting Travis. He'll be up in Peds; if you want to come see him tomorrow," Gary said, carefully taking the sleeping boy from Jack's arms.
"Thanks, Dr. Jenkins."
"You're welcome, Jack. Do you have kids?"
"Yeah, two daughters," Jack said, getting to his feet.
"Thought so, you're a natural dad."
Jack nodded as he and Sam left the room. They walked toward the main entrance.
"I parked in the garage," Sam explained, turning on her phone.
Jack did the same. Both of their phones chirped that they had messages. Jack entered his code and learned he had five messages. Tyler called twice, Viv called once, and there were two hang-ups. He checked the missed calls log and noted that they were two restricted calls.
"Jack?"
"Hmmm?"
"I asked if you were hungry?"
"Yeah, Sam, I am. Let's do drive-thru McDonald's."
"Sounds good."
They got into the car and Jack called the office.
"Johnson."
"It's me."
"Where are you?"
"Sam and I just left NYU. We're heading to Mickey D's and then down to the office."
"Okay. Can I do anything for you?"
"Yeah, could you track down Alex Woods's parents? We have a positive ID on the boy. They used to live in Darien."
"Wow, Jack, that's great. You found him."
"Yeah, look I have to call Tyler. We'll be at the office in a half an hour or so."
"See you then."
"Bye."
"Bye."
He hit speed dial and listened to the rings.
"Leave a message."
"Wow, real personal. It's me, at uhm, one fifteen, returning your call. Tag."
He closed his phone and slipped it into his suit coat pocket. He shivered slightly and then settled back in his seat. Sam stole a glance at him, watching as he fell asleep. She didn't know the details about Anne taking her leave of absence, but she could easily see what it was doing to him. Soon they were at 10th and 34th St. She pulled in behind a taxi and ordered for them both. When they got to the last window, she touched his arm.
"Sorry," he mumbled, sitting up straighter.
"Don't be. Here, I just didn't want you to wear your Coke!"
He took the cardboard tray and set it on the floor between his feet. He waited for a moment and then reached into the glove compartment for some waterless disinfecting hand cleaner. The bag of burgers, chicken sandwich, and fries sat between them. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed down Ninth Avenue. Spying a parking place, she pulled in and set the car in park. Silently they ate their lunch.
"How's your ankle?"
"It hurts," he admitted.
"How much longer do you have to be in a cast?"
"Just under two weeks, unless Steve says different."
"I'm sure you can't wait."
"You're right," he said, smiling.
"I've missed that."
He cocked his head in question.
"Your smile."
"I've missed this."
Now it was her turn to be confused.
"It's just; I've missed sharing a few moments with you, no strings attached."
She nodded and they continued with their meals.
2pm
Jack limped off the elevator and Sam followed. He went to his office and cracked his neck before hanging up his coat. His coffee had a skin on it, so he headed to the kitchenette to wash out his mug and brew a new cup. A few moments later, he slowly walked into the bullpen. Carefully, he sat down at the big table, picked up his cast ankle and set it on another chair. Sighing, he took a sip of coffee.
"Ready?" Viv asked, sitting down across from him.
"Not really." He smiled.
Viv smiled in return and continued.
"Janice and Darren Wood died in a home invasion three years ago."
Jack closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
"Uhm, there was a sister, Alice, Agnes…?" Jack suggested.
"Agnes Wood, age twelve, lives with her aunt and uncle in New York City."
"Let's go," Jack said, pulling his cast off the chair.
"Relax, Jack, I've asked them to come down.
"Oh, okay. Call Margaret Hilson at CSU, see if she can email you Alex's photos that she took at the hospital."
"Got it," she said, before standing to walk to her desk.
Jack sipped his coffee and listened to the bustle of the office.
"Where're Danny and Martin?"
"They're following up on a missing maintenance engineer at the Met."
"Museum or opera?"
"Museum."
Jack sat for a few more minutes, but his ankle still hurt. He stood and limped with his coffee to his office. Sitting down at his desk, he carefully put his cast on the credenza behind him. Sipping his coffee, he finally felt the pounding in his ankle begin to dissipate.
3:15pm
"Jack? The aunt and uncle are here," Sam said, waking him.
"Okay."
He pulled himself together, and got to his feet. Sam reached over and straightened his tie.
"How do I look?"
"Tired."
"Then I guess we're ready."
Sam led the way to the interrogation room.
"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Damon, I'm Special Agent Spade and this is Special Agent Malone," Sam said, sitting opposite the couple.
"I remember you" Mr. Damon asked, looking at Jack before turning his attention to Sam. "You said this had something to do with Alex?"
"He's alive. He's at NYU Medical Center," Jack said.
Mrs. Damon looked at her husband in disbelief as tears began to stream down her face.
"I can't do this, Rick. I can't. Agnes is hard enough."
"Excuse me?" Sam asked, feeling Jack's anger building.
"We have three children of our own. When my sister and her husband died, we legally adopted Agnes. She developed muscular dystrophy a year later," Rick answered, reaching his arm across his wife's shaking shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Sam said.
"Look, we're not made of money. Medicare is barely paying for her medical costs and then there are the caregivers."
"Where was Agnes during the home invasion?" Jack asked out of the blue.
"She was at a friend's house."
"You're right," Jack said, getting to his feet. "Your plate's full. We'll put Alex in Child Protective Services. I'm sorry."
He left the room and headed back to his office. Picking up the phone, he dialed Glenn.
"Bradley."
"It's Jack. Did you speak to Anne's doctor?"
"Yes, bring your letters in and I'll messenger them up to her. Hey Jack, what's up? You okay?"
"We recovered a child who had been kidnapped six years ago. It was a cold case of mine."
"Terrific."
"No, not really: his parents are dead, his sister has muscular dystrophy. His aunt and uncle are overwhelmed."
"He got to you, didn't he?"
"Oh, yeah."
"I can see where this is going, Jack. I don't know if Anne can become instant Mom."
"Would you speak to her doctor?"
"Yes, I will. Don't forget the letters. Jack, one more question. What time did you really come to work this morning?"
"I came in around three."
"It's almost four in the afternoon, now. You need to go home."
"Yeah, I know."
"What's the problem?"
"Nothing, really. I'm just tired."
"You don't want to go home to an empty apartment."
Jack sat back in his chair, turning it to the wall, and sighed.
"No, I don't."
"But you know you need to go home?"
"Yes, Glenn, I do."
"Bye, Jack. Take care."
"Bye."
There was a knock on his glass door. He motioned for Sam to come in.
"Hi."
"Hi, can I give you a lift home?"
"No thanks, Sam. I'm going to take a cab."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, thanks, though."
"See you tomorrow."
"Oh, Sam?"
"Yes?"
"Would you call Child Protective Services and make sure they're on board with Alex?"
"Sure."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Sam left him alone as he began to shut down his computer. He looked at his desk for a moment and then slipped on his top coat. Walking out of the office, he took the elevator and shortly found himself on the street. Miraculously, he caught a cab almost immediately and was home, in his apartment, less than fifteen minutes later. He limped to the bathroom and washed his hands and face thoroughly. He emptied his pockets before taking off his suit and putting it in the dry cleaning bag. Hanging up his tie, he stuffed his shirt alongside his suit. Jack stood still for a moment and decided to take a shower. Shucking off the rest of his clothes, he headed back to the bathroom and reached for the faucet. The water was hot and when he stepped into the shower, he felt the heavy weight of the day start to recede. After a guilty twenty minutes of using water, he felt he could leave the shower.
Pulling on a fresh pair of shorts and his sweats, he took a clean t-shirt from the drawer and put it on. As he padded to the living room, his cell phone rang.
"Malone."
"So, you don't like my message?"
"Hi, Tyler."
"How was your day?"
"Rough and exhausting. To be honest, Tyler, I just walked in. I started at around three this morning. I'm going to head horizontal."
"Okay, don't be a stranger."
"Hardly."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Jack set the phone in the charger and went to the sofa. He lowered himself carefully and stretched out on his right side.