Author's Note: Sorry guys, wasn't on for a day and then yesterday I couldn't even get onto the site. I'd like to post the last chapter quick, but we'll see what happens. Hope you enjoy!! We're getting down to the wire here...Standard disclaimers, yada, yada...

Chapter 10- 17 Hours Missing

Martin walked into Jack's office hurriedly. "Jack, I think you should hear this."

Jack looked up at Martin with exhaustion evident in his face. "What is it, Martin?"

"Our girl used her credit card to get gas at the station minutes away from her house at 9:25 this morning. That puts her minutes from her house AFTER her interview."

Jack furrowed his brow. "So why isn't she home?"

Martin shook his head. "I don't know. And since Elena didn't find anything in her phone, I don't think that she spontaneously met someone to try and cheer her up."

Jack looked slightly disappointed. "No. I guess you're right."

Martin threw out another theory. "Think someone got her at the gas station?"

"Didn't find her car there. And it's a small town, someone would've noticed and done something."

Martin cleared his throat and spoke cautiously. "Think Agent Thomas was right? Maybe she did leave on her own." He was quick to add. "It seems like the only thing that makes sense."

Jack breathed deep, not quite ready to give in. "Let's see what he thinks he knows."

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As Jack approached the round table, Samantha was standing there with a look of worry on her face.

"Sam, I need to get Agent Thomas over here on the double. I've already called everyone else, but he doesn't seem to be answering his phone. Do you know where he is? We need him here."

Now Sam looked even more worried. "Uh, he left."

Jack furrowed his brow and moved his head forward and slightly to the side as if he hadn't heard her. "I'm sorry?"

"He, uh, left."

He looked at her in disbelief. "He left? The building? Where the hell'd he go?"

She swallowed hard. "I don't know. I think he's following a lead."

"A lead? What lead? I haven't heard about any leads from him. The only thing I heard case-wise from him was his random thoughts about how the girl lives her life."

"I don't know, Jack. All I know is that Elena gave him some information he asked her about and he booked for the stairs."

Elena heard the last line and started to back away, back the way she had come. Too late. Jack saw her.

"Elena! What information did you find and only give him?!"

She looked a little scared. "I only told him because he asked me to find it. I still don't know why. But I looked it up because the paper I was chasing was giving me bupkus."

Jack looked angry now. "What did you give him?"

"The only info he wanted when I tried to give him all of it was the property that her paternal grandmother owned."

Sam ventured a question. "What interested him the most of that info?"

She shrugged. "Some empty property upstate. Then he mumbled something under his breath. Didn't catch what he said."

Sam looked at Elena. "Apparently he thinks there's something there."

Elena's eyes widened. "Oh my God! I thought he was just telling me that I may have found her to make me feel better!"

Jack was confused. "What?"

"Before he walked away he said that I may have found our girl. But earlier he heard me say that I wish I had a more prominent role in our cases. I thought he was just trying to make me feel like I really was helping and not chasing my tail. I mean, the info I gave him was so off-the-wall that it couldn't possibly help find her."

Samantha was about ready to race out the door and catch up with Ben. "She was extremely close to- nevermind. Jack, I'm gonna go find Ben."

Jack was angry. "The hell you are. He and I need to talk."

"Jack, I understand you're upset that he didn't keep you in the loop, but he did his job and he found the girl his way. You have to respect that he's good at his job."

"OUR job, Sam. He works with dead people on a regular basis and now I see why."

Sam tried to calm him. "He's just not used to working on a team. And you didn't help any with your high and mighty attitude. You didn't even listen to him when he made suggestions as to routes to take, leads to follow. You didn't make him feel all warm and gushy inside, Jack."

"My job is not to keep everyone here happy."

"No, it's to find and help save people, which is all he cares about, too. You didn't even make him feel like he was helping or let him help. You didn't lead him to think

you were open to anything he would say."

"Fine. Do your mediating with him. I'll gather some troops and head out after you. Let you get there first. It'll keep me from killing him if we're there alone and give you time to talk some sense into him."

Sam turned and started walking away. "You two should just stop being so damn stubborn."

Jack turned around. "What'd you say?"

"Nothing."

Author's Note: One more chapter guys! In the meantime, leave me fun notes to let me know how you feel, if you would. I love them so! As normal, love and thanks to my ladies on my forum!!