From Chapter 3
Mac's mind was working over time now. He knew Jo could run the lab all by herself but he could not just shut off his investigative side. He itched to dial the number he already knew by heart but it was already way past midnight in New York City so he just made a mental note to make that call tomorrow.
Mac went back to their room and carefully slid beside Christine and tried to sleep. He turned on his side only to lie on his back again but sleep was still evasive. His mind had already returned to its normal mode and his body was aching to fly back to the crime lab and help find the perp. He fluffed his pillow and lay on his stomach but it took him more than 2 hours more before he finally fell asleep.
Chapter 4
She reached across the bed searching for warmth, but emptiness welcomed her arm. She waited for a second before fluttering her eyes open. She looked around the room, but found no trace of someone else being there with her. She sighed before forcing herself to prop herself up on her elbows. She frowned at the silence enveloping the room, wondering if she was still asleep and dreaming. But the rays of sunshine bathing the room and casting a warm light on her face proved to her that this is real.
She swung her legs over the bed and shrugged on her robe. She made her way out of the bedroom while tying her robe around her waist, listening intently for anything that might tell her of his whereabouts.
She walked to the lounge area and saw him sitting at the breakfast table in the grand terrace, a glass of orange juice already condensing but still almost full, his back to her. She quietly crept up to him but stopped abruptly when she saw him holding his phone in one hand, and writing something on the hotel notepad with the other.
Irritation started to swell inside her when she realized he was working on a case of some sort. On their honeymoon, nonetheless. They were surrounded by crystal-blue sea, lush greeneries, fine sand, warm, golden rays of sunlight; all of these complemented the serene, peaceful, exotic and romantic place they were in. And yet, he chose to devote his time in solving a case he was not even a part of instead of appreciating this paradise in front of them.
She cleared her throat to catch his attention.
"Hey, good morning." Mac said smiling at her, standing up to give her a peck on her lips, his hands hastily setting aside his phone, pen, and notepad.
"Yeah, I was looking for you" Christine said, not bothering to disguise the irritation in her voice.
"I woke up early and did not want to disturb you so I just stayed here." Mac said pulling out her chair before tucking it in again when she sat down.
"What were you writing there?" Christine asked motioning towards the notepad.
"Nothing, just something I read about." Mac said, taking the warm glass of orange juice.
"Mac, you're working, aren't you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
Mac sighed before running his hand through his hair.
"It's just something about what I read from the internet." waiving his hand over the notepad, as if it was nothing important. "So what do you plan to do today?"
Christine calmed down a little when he asked about their activities for the day.
"Do you have anything in mind?" she asked him, keen on what interests him.
Mac paused a second before shaking his head.
"Whatever you want" Mac shrugged at her, smiling.
Christine frowned, feeling the irritation earlier surface again.
"I've been planning everything, Mac. Don't you have anything you'd rather do? In case you forgot, it's supposed to be our honeymoon, not mine alone."
Mac caught the irritation in her voice, and noticed the frown on her face and he did not want to argue with her, but he really did not know what to do.
"Christine, that's not what I meant. It's just that this is not my kind of thing. You know how long it had been for me…" Mac hesitated "I cannot even remember when the last time I went to a beach was. That's why I'm leaving everything to you, because I really have no idea on what to do in this kind of place." Mac said apologetically.
Christine softened up a little when she heard Mac's tone. Recently, she had forgotten all about his past. With the preparations for their wedding, their honeymoon, their wine tasting agenda, she forgot that he was very much a broken man when they met again. She forgot everything about his burden, and that made her feel a little guilty for her outburst.
"Let's just see what the hotel concierge would recommend to us." Christine said smiling at him, before standing up to go inside.
Thank, God. Wouldn't want to argue with your wife during your honeymoon, would you?!
That phone call he had been meaning to make would have to wait now; he did not want to take a risk now, not after how their morning started.
Jo spent the entire week trying to spot the suspect but every single night she spent lurking behind those trees proved to be a waste of time. The suspect could either be in hiding or she had already been spotted.
Jo sank onto her chair, elbow propped on the table, forehead on her hand.
"Jo, are you okay?" Sheldon asked when he saw her through her glass office door.
"Yup. I just really wanted to catch the perp that killed Michael Wilmer but he's too evasive."
Sheldon took a good, long, look at Jo when she finally turned her head to him.
"Jo, what were you doing for the past few days?" Sheldon asked her, frowning deeply.
"Why? What do you mean?"
"Well, you got some nasty dark circles under your eyes. You're starting to look like Mac." Sheldon said with a smile, but Jo could detect the concern in his voice.
"I'm fine, just… doing my homework is all." Jo said with a wave of her hand.
When Sheldon left, Jo looked at the file on her desk once again. She had been taking pictures of the people in that group whenever she's out there behind the trees, and she wanted to make sure that she hadn't already taken a picture of him but didn't realize it.
Jo was startled when the noise of her ringing phone pierced through her concentration. She scowled when she saw it was Sinclair calling her. Getting fed up by his pestering, she stuffed her phone in the bottom drawer of her desk before looking back at the pictures.
Jo was already on her way to the same damn place to try her luck yet again tonight.
Before she left the crime lab, she called Ellie at home to tell her that she would go home later in the evening, and that she should not wait for her. She had been going home late since this case and Ellie would joke about it, saying that maybe she should call Mac and ask him to come back already because her mother had not only took over his position temporarily, but also some of his bad habits. Thankfully, Jo had not yet preferred staying at the crime lab instead of coming home to her.
Jo inched her way to the same hiding spot she had been using for the last few nights and stayed there with her camera on hand, her senses heightened, patiently waiting for the burly man with the eagle earring.
Jo had been watching the bikers go through routine after routine, screaming their lungs out, slapping each other's backs a little too hardly, it's a wonder they didn't spit blood out, since she arrived. After a good while, Jo sensed something different about to happen. The bikers cleared the area, only occupying the side on her left, leaving the opposite side open. She watched more intently when they started placing items after items, making the open space resemble an obstacle course. They placed drums on the sides of the rectangular area, three on each side, in regular intervals. They then lighted the drums, the gasoline inside them making the fire burn bright enough to serve as their lighting.
She heard a rumbling coming from the right side and she squinted hard to see what was causing that rumbling sound. Just then, she saw the motorbike whizzed past the obstacle course, only to return and tackle it efficiently, eliciting louder cheers and screams from the audience. Jo watched as the newcomer stopped in the middle of the open area, killed off his engine, took off his helmet and stood beside his bike.
He addressed the whole crowd before him, turning around to face every single person. He was talking about the 'battle' that was about to begin, when it happened. The light from the fire around the improvised arena caught something that was in his face, and Jo squinted when it gleamed. Suddenly, Jo felt her heart constrict in her chest. She realized where that gleam came from, and took notice of the man standing in the middle. He was burly, tall, black, and he had a gold earring.
That's him.
Jo wanted to go over and invite him for some questions but she did not find the idea appealing so she just stayed and watched them from her hideout, waiting for the next thing that would happen. From all those nights that she camped out at this part of the Bronx, she already knew the whole area surrounding the improvised arena. She had made her rounds, even during the day, exploring each and every path that leads to and leads out of it. While the bikers were enjoying their 'battle', Jo had been mapping in her mind the way out of here if the suspect went out of the arena the same way he went in, her eyes not leaving the burly man. She wanted him to go back the way he came in because she knew that although it was just a few miles away from the freeway, she only had to be careful to avoid being detected. While, if he'd go the other way, it would not be possible for her to tail him at all since there would be too many alleys and small roads, so nothing could act as her cover.
A couple of hours later, she noticed them starting to break up. The fires were put out, tires were stacked, bikers rode away from the arena and to Jo's relief, the suspect went out through the same way he went in.
Jo quickly but carefully navigated her way out of her hideout to her car and tried to tail the burly man. She found the motorbike but there were hardly any cars driving this early, it was only 5:15 in the morning after all, so she did not dare drive closer to him.
After a few minutes, Jo saw him round the corner and she slowly rounded it too. She parked behind a delivery van when she saw him slow down a little. She climbed out of her car and followed him by foot. She saw him stop in front of a duplex apartment and went in. She walked further still to scan the area, only to turn around and go back to her car. She reached inside her pocket for her phone but her hand came out empty. She tried to look for it inside the car but couldn't find it either.
Where the hell did I put it?
Her mind wandered back to the crime lab, the day before. She remembered Sheldon, pictures, no, wait… Sinclair! Damn it! I left it in the drawer! She let out a sigh before getting out of her car.
She went back to the corner store remembering the phone booth she saw when she rounded the corner. She called dispatch and asked to be connected to Lindsay. A moment later, she heard Lindsay's voice over Lucy's wailing.
"Lindsay, I might have found the perp on Michael Wilmer's case. I'm at the Bronx, and I don't know if I could come to the office on time. I'll explain when I come back to the crime lab. Just, please try to call Ellie and tell her I'm okay. I don't want her to get worried. I don't have my phone with me." Jo said a little quickly, afraid that the perp might leave the apartment while she's still on the phone.
"Okay Jo. I will. Be careful." Lindsay said while trying to pacify Lucy who'd been struggling from her arms.
Jo bought a couple of granola bars and a bottled water from the corner store after she made the call to Lindsay. She walked near the apartment where she saw the burly man entered, and when she saw the motorbike still there, she went back to her car.
Two hours later, the sun was already high in the sky. The man had not left the apartment yet and she thought that's where he must be living. She ate the granola bars one after the other and drank the water. The man still hadn't emerged from the apartment. Jo leaned back to her car seat and trained her eyes on the same direction for the longest time, until she felt her eyelids droop. She sat straight to avoid falling asleep and it worked, but only for a couple minutes. In less than 5 minutes, Jo's head was back at the head rest, her eyelids fighting hard to remain open, but the tiredness of her body was lulling her to sleep. She had been awake for the last 24 hours, and with all those nights that she lurked around the trees and bushes until the wee hours of the morning, she was not really capable of fighting the fatigue that was starting to consume her.
She woke up with a start. She realized she had been sleeping in her car for the last… 2 hours! She quickly went out of her car and walked to the direction of the apartment, her heart beating fast. When she saw the motorbike still there, she looked around a little. She was not sure if the suspect was still inside but she also had no other way to check. She decided to go back to her car and wait.
It was already past two in the afternoon when she finally saw him coming out of the apartment. She tailed him yet again but when she saw him turn to I-87, she knew that the traffic would not permit her to pursue any further. She thought about it for a moment before deciding to abandon the plan. She just hoped that he would be back at the arena later tonight, or if not, that apartment where they came from might as well be his home.
Jo turned back to the side street and went to find someplace where she could eat and plan her next moves as well.
"Danny, have you seen Jo, yet?" Lindsay asked her husband, forehead all scrunched up.
"Nope! I thought she called you this morning?" Danny looked at his worried wife, noticing the mobile phone she was clutching.
"Yes, but Sinclair was looking for her. And he said he couldn't reach her. She was not answering her phone. I told him Jo called me up this morning and told me that her phone was not with her. I told him she was trying to locate the perp in Wilmer's case but he won't have any of it. So now, he wanted us to give him any information about the case that he could pass to the media."
Danny nodded his head at his wife.
"Yeah, the media were relentless. I saw the ambush interview they did to Sinclair and he couldn't give them any details because he didn't have any. Did Jo tell you who her suspect was?"
"No. She just said she might have located him already. I think she said where but… but, Lucy was throwing tantrums and she was wailing so I didn't hear what she said and I didn't ask anymore because Lucy was trying to jump from my arms." Lindsay was almost close to tears now. She was not only worried about Sinclair, but also for Jo.
"Come here. Don't worry. It's not your fault. It's gonna be okay, babe." Danny kissed the crown of Lindsay's head, trying to comfort her.
"But it's already past three, and she hadn't called again." Danny hushed his wife, calming her down, but he could feel his own anxiety rise.
He had been looking at different flower species since they came here, and though they were really beautiful, he was getting tired of all these flowers. Christine had heed the suggestion of the hotel concierge to visit the flower farm near the hotel and he'd been smiling at her every time she squealed at the sight of an exotic flower, but he was getting tired of it. Truth be told, his mind was not even in Maui anymore. It was already back home, in New York. He wanted to know the details on the Wilmer case, especially when it was such a high-profiled case, him being the son of the 'Late Model King' and also since he knew that Michael Wilmer was Sinclair's godson. He was introduced to him by Sinclair himself during a Christmas party a long time ago, when the Wilmers attended another party somewhere near theirs.
His thoughts were brought back to the flower garden again when he heard his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, glancing at Christine's disapproving look; he looked at the caller ID. Think of the Devil.
Mac did not expect Sinclair to call him especially when this was the first time he ever took a leave in a very long time, and it was supposed to be his honeymoon, but what he could have never had expected, Sinclair was asking him to shorten the honeymoon and to go back to New York.
Mac couldn't be happier to go back but he did not want to ruin Christine's vacation in the process. He walked a little further away from Christine before voicing out his concern but Sinclair wouldn't let him talk.
"Mac, I know it's cruel of me to pull you out of your honeymoon, and I know that this is the first time ever that you had a vacation, but the Department needs you. I supposed you had already read the news about Michael Wilmer?" Sinclair asked, knowing that there was a great possibility of the news reaching Mac already.
"Yes, I read from the wires. And I understand your concern but Christine… And, I'm sure Jo could handle it." Mac left an open window for Sinclair, wanting to know what could have happened for Sinclair to call him and ask him to go back.
"That's the problem…"
Mac's heart pounded on his chest. What happened to Jo?
"…I was trying to reach her since yesterday but I couldn't. Her phone was turned off and nobody knew where she was. I spoke with Messer earlier and she said Jo had called her early this morning to tell her that she left her phone somewhere and that she might have already found the killer. She also told her that she would explain everything when she comes back. The problem is she's not yet back and nobody knew where she was."
Mac closed his eyes in frustration. "What do you mean exactly when you said nobody knew where she was?"
There was a pause on the line before he heard Sinclair's voice.
"Well, nobody not even one, knew where she was. Not even her daughter."
"You called Ellie?" Mac heard his voice rise "And told her, her mother's… missing?" Mac couldn't even bring himself to say the word 'missing'. She can't be missing.
"Not exactly. Lindsay said Jo asked her to call her daughter for her and tell her that she's okay. So I thought there might be a possibility that she didn't know where Jo was either."
Mac was clutching at his head now. He tried to think of something to say but his mind went blank.
"Mac"
Mac almost forgot that Sinclair was still on the phone, and his voice startled him a bit.
"You know who the Wilmers are, and though they were not doing or saying anything against the NYPD, the other privileged families were doing otherwise." Sinclair let his words sink in before continuing, "I can arrange a flight for you. In fact, you can fly in today. The plane would leave at 3 in the afternoon, Maui time; you can go back to your place first and rest then you can come to the crime lab tomorrow morning." Sinclair offered, but he knew Mac would go directly to the Crime Lab, as soon as the plane landed.
"Okay, please ask someone to email me the flight details. And please ask my team not to stop going over the evidences; Jo's location may be in there somewhere."
"Thanks, Mac." Sinclair said before hanging up.
Mac was startled when he heard Christine's voice.
"You're going back to New York?" Christine asked angrily.
Mac shut his eyes again before turning to face her.
"I'm sorry Christine, that was Sinclair. He asked me to go back to help solve the case. It was a high-profiled case and the Department was under media fire. And the victim was Sinclair's godson. I'm really sorry, I had to." Mac explained apologetically, but he knew she wouldn't understand.
"It's our honeymoon, Mac. You can't even leave your job for just a few weeks, to be with me?"
"Christine, that's not the point, and you know it."
"Well, what about Jo? She was supposed to take care of everything until you return, right?" Christine's exasperated now, and her voice was starting to rise a little.
"Jo… Jo was missing, Christine. Nobody knew where she was." Mac said worriedly. He wanted to fly to New York right this very moment. He did not want to argue anymore with Christine. He just wanted to find Jo, alive.
"Okay, Mac. I know you want to help solve the crime and to find Jo. But how about me? How about everything, Mac? We were scheduled to go to Napa, have you forgotten? Everything's paid for already. Everything's set, Mac. Have you ever thought about all those? Have you ever thought about me?"
Mac's patience was quickly running out. If Jo's with the perp, time is of the essence. He couldn't afford to lose more time, considering the number of hours his flight back to New York would take.
"Christine, listen. I am very sorry about this. I'll make it up to you. I really have to go now. My flight's at 3PM. If you want to go with me, let's go now."
Christine stared at him, unbelieving what he was telling her.
Christine shook her head at him. "Go" She knew nothing could change his mind.
Mac gave her a hug and a kiss then jogged away from her.
Christine watched her husband run away to save another woman. Please prove to me that I made the right decision, Mac.
Mac was already on his way to the airport when he dialed Danny's number.
"Danny, I'm on my way to the airport right now, I'm coming back to New York. I'd be there around 6AM. Please leave all the reports on Michael Wilmer's case on my desk. All of them. Okay?"
"But you're on your honeymoon why a-…"
"Jo was missing, right?"
"Missing? Well… kinda. But she called Lindsay this morni-…"
"I know. Sinclair called me. She hadn't returned, had she? She'd not called again, either?"
"Uhh… no, on both accounts."
"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean."
"Okay, boss. I'll leave everything on your desk."
Jo was now back to her usual spot. She had decided to watch over them tonight, wait for the burly man to return, if he is going to return to the arena, that is. After which, she would tail him again and see where he leads her.
After having her lunch this afternoon, she went back to the duplex apartment and looked if the motorbike was there. When she saw that it was not there, she walked up to the door, and knocked. Her heart was hammering on her chest, and she did not know what to expect, but she had to risk it. She had to know who was living there with him, or if he even lives there, at all.
A young boy opened the door and looked at her with inquisitive eyes. It was nothing like what she could have expected. She didn't know what to expect, but she's sure that this boy could never be part of any expectations she could have had about this apartment.
Jo smiled a nervous but at the same time, warm, smile at the boy. Then the boy called out to someone inside the apartment, and Jo tensed instantly. When that person finally came into her view, she relaxed a little. A beautiful girl, around Ellie's age wrapped an arm at the boy's shoulders before asking Jo,
"Can I help you? in this sweet, breathy voice.
Jo smiled at them and asked about some random person. The young girl smiled at her but shook her head at Jo.
"I'm sorry; I don't know anybody by that name. Are you sure this is the apartment number? I know the people living next door, and there was not anybody by that name, either."
"Oh, okay. Actually, I am not really sure about the apartment number. The paper where it was written got wet and the ink ran so I'm just making wild guesses." Jo said smiling, now, for the gold "You two seemed too young to be living by yourselves, were you even going to school?"
The young girl chuckled softly.
"Don't worry about us, our father comes home every day, but he had to work at night so we're left alone during the day. But it's okay because we also go to school, just not today because there's a special training for the teachers in our school that's why we don't have classes today."
Jo beamed at them.
"Okay then, take care of your little brother. And thank you." Jo reached out her hand to pat the cheek of the young boy, before turning to leave.
She walked back to her car and slumped on the driver's side. She never thought their suspect might have children relying on him. She prayed to high heavens that that burly man did not kill Michael Wilmer because otherwise, what would happen to those beautiful children? It was like reliving that day when she put Ellie's mother behind bars. Please… please don't let it be him.
Jo's thought of what transpired that afternoon was broken by the loud cheer coming from the bikers. She turned to look what caused the loud cheer, and she smiled to herself when she saw burly man exhibiting his skills. She took multiple close up shots of him and then waited for them to finish the 'semi-finals', at least that's what she had concluded from his little speech before the battle started. Yesterday was the elimination round, today's the semis and tomorrow would be the finals.
She had to work fast tomorrow. She planned to invite him to the precinct tomorrow when he leaves the apartment. She did not want his children to see the police escorting their father for questioning, even though she was not even sure if they'd be at home tomorrow. She wanted to protect the children from possible trauma, because she believed that whatever their father did or did not do; it had nothing to do with them.
Mac was looking down from the plane window, his eyes scanning the whole area. Somewhere in that piece of island, was Jo. I just hope she's safe.
Still looking out the window, he pulled out his necklace and thumbed the cross pendant, before pressing his lips against it.
Wait for me, Jo.
I'm on my way.
Just a few hours more
I'll look for you
Just wait for me.