Chapter 4

While Jack was lying injured in the wilderness, Martin and Vivian were searching Janet Danson's apartment. It was a small, one-bedroom place in a grotty, unkempt building. As they trawled through her possessions, they discovered cut-out clippings and articles from newspapers, most of which mentioned Jack by name. They also found an envelope of photographs of Jack, taken from afar, over a period of weeks. Some of them were of his apartment block, others of him entering or leaving his building or work, a few of Samantha and Jack having breakfast at Gino's, even one of him while working on a case. She had been stalking him. There was no doubt about that. They also found a collection of holiday brochures, foreign and domestic, some of which had pages folded down.

As they searched, Viv's cell phone rang again. This time it was Samantha.

"Viv, it's me. I've been going through Danson's credit card charges and it looks like she hired a car, the day before yesterday. I've put an APB out on it," Sam informed her.

"Good. You might want to extend that APB to out-of-state agencies," Viv suggested.

"Why?"

"We've found brochures for hotels, cabins and spas. It looks like she was planning a trip; all we need now is to find out where," Viv replied.

"Danny might be able to help with that. One minute," Sam said, turning to her colleague, who just happened to be returning from the Tech Room. "Okay, Viv, Danny said that the cell phone that Jack used was pinging from a tower in upstate Vermont," she told her. "Are there any brochures for that area?"

"I'll have a look and get back to you," Vivian replied. "You and Danny get on the road north and alert local authorities that you're coming."

Samantha didn't need to be told twice. Within twenty minutes, she and Danny were on the highway, heading north in the direction of Vermont.

Back in the forest, Jack was beginning to come around again, as soft drops of rain splashed off his face. He opened his eyes and, at first, had no idea where he was. It took a few moments before the details of his last few hours came flooding back. He felt terrible. He looked down towards his wound. The piece of shirt was still wedged into it and the bleeding appeared to have slowed significantly. He raised his arm to check the time to see how long he had been unconscious but then realised that he wasn't wearing a watch. He listened carefully, trying to hear if he had been followed. Besides the rustling of the branches in the breeze and the odd birdcall, he could hear nothing.

He knew he couldn't stay where he was. No one would find him there. His best chance of getting help was to get back to the road. From what he could tell, the cabin was to the east of him, which would mean that the road should be somewhere to the south of where he sat.

He turned on his uninjured side and using the tree trunk for support, he staggered awkwardly to his feet. The movement sent a surge of pain through him. A feeling of nausea followed swiftly and he retched as he hung on to the tree. Remaining slightly stooped and with one hand still leaning on the tree trunk, he allowed himself time to gulp the air and regain his composure before setting off in the direction of the road.

I hope I'm right.

Back at the cabin, Janet Danson looked a pitiful sight. She sat on the damp clay ground surrounded by spilled groceries. She kept her now empty pistol aimed by her side and every now and again she'd raise it and pull the trigger. All she heard was a hollow click. Tears streaked her face and she mumbled words of love and loss as she stared into the wall of trees, calling Jack's name intermittently. She felt lost and had no idea how to deal with his rejection.

Danny and Samantha were an hour into their drive to the northeast when Sam's cell phone rang. Viv's name lit up on the caller display.

"Hi, Viv," she said as she answered.

"Sam, I've got something. Janet Danson made an online reservation for a holiday rental near Elmore," Vivan told her.

"I saw that on the map. It's close to the cell tower," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah. Head up there and I'll let the local sheriff's department know and get them to meet you there," Viv said with authority.

"Okay. We're on our way. I'll call you when we get there," Sam said before hanging up and relaying the update to Danny.

Danny accelerated in the direction of Elmore. His mentor was in trouble and he had no way of knowing exactly how much. He always considered Jack more than capable of looking after himself, but he also remembered Janet Danson from the last time their paths crossed. She was a seriously disturbed woman. Although she had never displayed violent tendencies previously, Danny feared what she might be capable of.

An hour later they were at the entrance to the park. They were met by a ranger who agreed to escort them to the cabin. Viv had sent them the booking details, which made it easy for the ranger to locate it. They followed the ranger's truck off the main road and continued down the narrow service road. They could see the picturesque lake in the distance as the road climbed. Eventually the road led to the property they were seeking. As they approached, they observed the rental car parked out front. From their position, they couldn't see any sign of activity around the building itself.

It wasn't until they stopped their car and walked towards the cabin that they spotted Janet Danson sitting in the rain. She sat with her back leaning against the body of the car, staring into space, still clinging onto the gun. Danny was the first to react at the sight of the weapon and immediately drew his sidearm. Sam quickly followed suit. To their dismay, Janet didn't even appear to notice their presence. Her eyes were fixated on the trees beyond.

"Janet Danson! F.B.I! Put down the weapon, Janet!" Danny ordered firmly but non-threatening, not wanting to startle Janet and spark a defensive reaction.

Slowly, he approached her, speaking softly and reassuring her. Eventually, she looked up at him with a pitiful gaze. He lowered his weapon, reached out and took the gun, which she surrendered to him without protest. He secured the weapon and then removed his jacket and placed it around the shoulders of the shivering woman.

"Janet, where's Agent Malone?" Sam asked, holstering her gun and kneeling down to her level. She was desperately worried at this stage. Janet just shook her head.

Samantha repeated the question. This time Janet gestured towards the trees.

"He's gone. He just left me. Why would he leave me like that?" she sobbed tearfully.

Danny jogged over to the tree line and called Jack's name, hoping Jack had remained close by. There was no reply. They placed Janet into their car and cuffed her. Sam then decided to check the cabin, just in case Jack was there. She tried the door. It was all locked up and there was no sign of life inside. She returned to the car and shook her head to let Danny know that there was no one there.

"I'll call Viv. She's in touch with the sheriff's department. I'll get them to bring a canine unit in," Sam decided, as she looked towards the magnificent forest that surrounded them. She knew how easy it would be for someone to get lost in such wilderness. If Jack was out there, they were going to need help finding him.

TBC

A/N - Sorry its such a short chapter. Hang in there, chapter 5 will be up asap.