Chapter 2
Maura was in a tired state, yet unable to properly rest. Her capture made sure of it. She figured he had to have some kind of surveillance set up. Every time she began to fall asleep, he entered the room in a full ski mask. Based on the timing, she was later convinced it had to be at least two people working together – one taking the day shift and one taking the night shift.
She wasn't sure how many days she'd been there. Without natural light, she couldn't tell the time and with the constant interruptions to her sleep, her internal clock was askew. Even if her life depended on it, she couldn't say if it was night or day. Still, regardless of her sleep-deprived state, her mind was still working; formulating a plan of escape if it presented itself.
She continued to take in her surrounding that offered very little in the way of defense. Across the room, just outside the reach of the steel chain that was attached to the wooden staircase was a steel utility shelf. It appeared to hold some household cleaners – laundry soap, bleach, toilet cleaners, ammonia, washer fluid and other odds and ends. With black painted windows and no light, it was difficult to see in the dark. But she caught a glimpse of it each time the door from above opened.
She figured she was safe... for the moment. They wanted her alive. That much she knew. If not, she would have been dead in the ally. She lost count of how many times she cursed herself for going alone that night. It felt like a set-up as soon as she arrived, but she figured it was just paranoia brought on by the lack of sleep from the previous 24 hours.
That's why she looked beyond the fact the car had bubble light rather than a new model police cruiser. It's why she overlooked that the area was draped in caution tape rather than police tape. Only later did she deduce that the person holding her had to be on the force or connected to the force. They knew exactly what to say when they called her on her cell phone in the office, but who... and why. Her exhausted mind couldn't wrap her head around it all. But since she figured it out, she knew that Jane would have as well.
Why she was still alive wasn't apparent either, at least not yet. Maybe he had planned to kill her in front of Jane. Maybe she was the bait to bring Jane out to kill the detective. Maybe he wanted to kill them together. Whatever the plan, she didn't want to stay around to find out. There was one thing that did come through her hazy mind though – Hoyte. The whole thing felt like Hoyte to her...but Hoyte was dead – long dead. Still, she wondered if Jane had considered that too.
For the moment though, Jane was nowhere in sight. And Maura's life was confined to a small, old basement that provided little light or comfort. Her captures gave her a pillow and an air mattress that was rarely used because of the interruption to her sleep. After the second day of being woken up every time she started to doze, she realized what they were doing – keeping her clumsy and disrupting her thought process.
The masked figure did let her sleep slightly though, just enough to keep her alive, she surmised. Earlier that day, she managed to sleep long enough to dream. And the dream was of Jane. They were in her living room, having drinks side-by-side on her sofa. She could see the connections to Hoyte, but could Jane? And could that be the key to finding her?
She's a woman of science – of effects that are real...tangible. The supernatural had no place in her world. But Jane swore that she had premonition dreams that helped her solve cases in the past – whether it involved uncovering an exotic flower with toxic properties or even visions of Hoyte. Although Maura never discouraged Jane, she just figured that the facts were always there in Jane's mind – her subconscious sleeping mind brought those clues to light. Whether real or imagined, Maura hoped that somehow, someway her thoughts might make their way to Jane. Maybe together they could find a way to bring her home.
Maura deduced something else – her kidnappers had to know how the human mind and body function. Her first profile of this killer being highly intelligent was dead on. But that meant little now, with her hands cuffed and attached to the staircase via a chain. She had no means of escape. She realized it might come down to a battle of wits and in her tiredness and hunger she felt more unarmed every day. With less and less to cling to in the natural world she began to wonder if the supernatural might be the saving grace.
"Okay, Doctor," she told herself in the empty room. "If you're entertaining the idea of telepathy, you really are tired now."
A few seconds later, the door opened and she smelled something she hadn't in nearly two days... hot food! While she had all the water she wanted thanks to a nearby washroom with a sink and toilet, food was not a luxury she was given. She was given two candy bars, one of which her captor took away, but it was far from filling.
"Thought you might be hungry," he said.
Maura looked up for a moment to see the basement door was still open. Directly across from the open door was a six pane glass exterior door and faded, yellow wallpaper surrounding it. The trim around the door looked to be a light maple color. The linoleum was a faded, lemony yellow color. She knew the location hadn't been renovated in 30 or 40 years based on the décor. Beyond the exterior door, Maura saw a tree – big and filled with oak leaves.
Her capture laughed, "Oh, you are a smart one." He reached back and shut the door behind him. "Taking it all in," he added as he descended the staircase. "The problem is... you've got no one to tell. And if you think Jane Rizzoli is coming to save you, think again."
"Is that so?" Maura challenged. The smell of the food was distracting, but she did her best to stay focused.
"I took care of that problem once and for all," he told her.
For a moment, Maura's heart dropped. She knew he noticed by the slight grin at the corners of his mouth. Something then came to her mind – a conversation that she had with Jane when they were dealing with Hoyte.
"Hoyte thinks he's in control. We show him that we're in control. We take what little control he thinks he has away."
"You're lying," she told him matter-of-factly.
He chuckled as he put the tray in the utility sink. "Really? That's what you think little Miss Know-it-All?"
"It's not what I think. It's what I know. You looked up," she said as she pointed, "...in that direction. Plus, after you put the tray down you scratched your nose. Your body is betraying your words."
The flaring nostrils told her she hit a nerve. He didn't like being second guessed. He didn't like have his control taken. For the moment, she felt a small victory. However, in almost that same instant she realized her mistake. She pissed him off.
His backhand came at her so fast she barely had time to react. She pulled back, but not far or fast enough and the tips of his fingers connected with her cheek. The impact spun her head to one side and she could feel the copper taste of blood in her mouth where her gums had started to bleed.
"And your words are betraying your body!" he screamed.
He grabbed her by her gray jacket and pulled her within inches of him. "And it is a fine body," he menaced. "There is more than one way to break a woman, you know?"
Maura held her breath waiting for his next move when she heard someone above say, "Enough!"
In her fear and her confusion she couldn't make out if it was a masculine or feminine voice above them. Whoever it was, they had sway over her capture and helped prove two of her theories. This person wasn't working alone and they needed her unharmed for the moment.
He stepped back, but not before shoving Maura away with such force that she lost her balance and fell to the dirty, basement floor. She watched helpless as the food was collected and walked back up the stairs with her departing kidnapper.
Maura sighed – half in relief and half in frustration.
"Jane's right. For a genius, I can be an idiot. Note to self: eat first; then taunt."
Her stomach grumbled in agreement. "Oh, shut up," she told her abdomen.