4th chapter

Jane was home, watching TV, drinking beer, just a normal calm evening. At 10PM she looked at her cellphone and decided to text to Maura.

"How it's going? Let me know you are safe, OK?"

And she was surprised that the message was not delivered.

She tried to call her: "The number you're calling is unavailable."

She could imagine only one scenario: the date was successful and Maura is now somewhere with somebody and doesn't want to be interrupted. Jane didn't know how to feel, Maura is now somewhere naked, maybe even with some woman… Can she be jealous? No, Jane, you are straight.

When Jane waked up in the morning, she had no new SMS. At 8AM she checked Maura's office, at 9AM she checked Maura's house and started to panic. When she learned that Maura did not even enter to Petit Robert and no reservation was cancelled last evening, she called Korsak and started an investigation.

Maura's cellphone was still inactive.

Nobody used any of her cards.

Angela saw her leaving the house at 7:30PM, ready to a date, in a red dress.

One security camera taped her near the Petit Robert, but she never entered there.

Something happened.

Jane was scared.

She needs to know more about the date.

Nina was checking Maura's notebook. And Jane, Vince and Frankie came to the Maura's office: "He sent her a flower. It's already gone, but maybe Maura kept the card. And we are also looking for the invitation to the Petit Robert."

It was not so hard to find. Maura kept both in the first drawer of her table.

If you really think that in a relationship there are more important things that a gender, we could have a dinner today.

I hope you still like Petit Robert.

8PM

Frankie and Vince were surprised by this new information about Dr. Isles. But Jane looked shocked at the card. "This is exactly what Maura told me one day. How did he – or her – know?"

"Maybe you were not the only one with whom Maura spoke about it." Frankie suggested.

"But why it was not weird to Maura?" Jane did not understand how Maura could be so naive.

"Or she thought she knew this person. Maybe she was expecting to meet the person with whom she spoke about it." Korsak looked at Jane with a question in his eyes.

Jane needed a moment to process this.

She remembered Maura speaking about the blue hyacinths and then about the card, testing her reaction to his or her.

"Oh."

She needed to sit down.

Maura thought I was the secret admirer.

She wanted me to be the person.

She wanted to meet the person who she loved already.

Maura loves me?

"Oh, Maura... But… it still doesn't explain how –"

Now she realized that both conversations happened in this office. She started to search everywhere and she has found a bug under the table. This deviant was eavesdropping Maura.

Arthur was used to watch his victims during his breakfast. This morning he saw a sad scene. Alicia died, in sleep, but Maura, in tears, kept hugging her under the blanket. He loved Alicia, he really did. Also he understood that these women had become close last two weeks. He gave Maura all the morning to say good-bye in privacy before he finally came with bread, water and a big black bag.

Maura was already weak, her handcuffed hand half dead, but she knew that this was the moment when he would unlock her handcuff. This is how it was with Alicia and Rebecca and Amelia and all the women who lived in this cell. Arthur doesn't like changes and Alicia told her everything she could.

She was now able to walk in the room, to watch all the objects here. And above all she could wrap Alicia's body with all her love and respect.

Maura had lost the notion of the time. She still believed she would be found one day, but she was aware that this chance is getting smaller every day and every week.

If they will not find her, she can expect 11 months of the solitude.

No, she cannot think about that.

"So," Arthur asked once during their conversation, when Alicia's body was already buried who-knows-where, "is there something I could give you? Do you need something here?"

"Maybe a clean blanket..? Or no! A clean pillow." Maura knew exactly what she missed the most. "Ideally the one I have home. Maybe you could, I mean, uh, you have my keys, maybe you could just bring me some my stuffs." She is asking too much, but she needs to try.

"What kind of stuffs?" Arthur doesn't seem to be angry.

"The pillow and my sweatpants and socks and maybe even a sweatshirt, am I asking too much? Or you can buy it, you have my purse. Or I can send you something from my bank accounts –"

"I'll see what I can do, I don't promise anything, OK?" Arthur smiled at her. He likes this woman very much, he would give her everything, but as he was out of a job he could not afford anything special.

That's right, he could check Maura's house, he knows there are no security cameras and if he wait till the other woman who lives there leaves, he can easily takes what Maura wants. It is a little bit risky, but he owed this to Maura. She will love him one day, he is sure about that.

"I was not able to find everything, but –" Arthur started when he came to Maura the next morning.

"Thank you." Maura was excited, so glad she could finally – after more than 3 weeks – undress her dirty dress. And her pillow equal to the heaven right now. She knows this man is an ill person and he is the cause of all her misery, but she cannot help it and feels gratitude right now.

And maybe it was this gratitude that she finally found her courage to ask: "May I ask you something, Arthur? The card invitation you had sent me. How did you know what to write there?"

Arthur smiled: "Alicia told you, I see and hear everything." After a little pause he continued, maybe it was the right moment: "I have even seen how Detective Rizzoli understood you had expected her on that, let`s say, date."

Maura forgot to breathe for a moment.

"She wasn't happy about the idea. She was even disgusted when the older detective came with that." He liked to see the disappointment in Maura's eyes, she needs to forget her past and accept she is totally his now.

"Maura, I love you more than anyone there. I don't want you to be sad, but they are not looking for you anymore."

This slapped Maura down.

Yes, she did not confess her feelings to Jane because she did not believe she would be OK with it, but she could still hope and dream.

Yes, she considered Jane conservative as she was raised in Italian catholic family, but she never showed any signs of homophobia.

Of course Jane would not accept Maura's love.

But – No, she cannot lie to herself anymore.

Jane is disgusted by her now and maybe she really is not looking for her anymore.

Maura closed her eyes.

She felt lonely, incredibly lonely.

She tried to keep hoping and she did not understand how it was possible that nobody had found her yet. Yes, statistically there are a lot of never solved kidnappings, but she is not ready to accept this will be her case. She needs to work out and do everything to stay in a good shape.

I know it`s a sad story... I am sorry for that.