CONFESSION TIME!
Part of the reason I've been inconsistent with posting up until now if Chapter 14, the chapter that explains Danny's 'miraculous' recovery. It just didn't want to be written! I didn't want to upload 13 chapters in succession and then have you waiting for weeks or even months for the next chapter, so I went slow for a while. Now that Chapter 14 is written, consistent transmission will begin.
As always, thanks for all the reviews, favourites and follows! Please remember to visit my profile and read my Reagan family backgrounds for names, ages, and people characteristics, so you know where I'm coming from. Thanks!
"Mac! I wasn't expecting to see you here. Meet my youngest son, Jamie. Jamie, Mac Taylor, head of the Crime Lab." They all exchanged handshakes and further pleasantries. "So, what brings the Big Boss to the hospital? Not more injuries, I hope?"
"No." Mac shook his head. "I came to take Danny's statement, that's all. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell me anything we don't already know. He had no reason to believe he was being followed, and apart from a few suspected but unsubstantiated instances of property tampering, nothing untoward has happened to him lately. I'm heading back to the lab now. I'll send you an update when I have one."
Mac didn't go to the Lab, not at first, anyway. Instead, he followed a suspicious looking vehicle all the way to the crime scene. He then watched as two men got out and walked down the road toward the ruined building.
What are those two doing now? He got out of the car. "Hey!"
"Oh, hey, Mac!" Danny Messer whirled around. "Did you get anything useful from the witness?"
Mac shook his head as he finally caught up with Danny and Sheldon. "It depends on what you call useful. I'm guessing you're not here for the scenery?"
"Finishing up the scene examination. Everyone else is back at the lab. There's just one thing left to do and we're the mugs who drew the short straw." Sheldon turned in a circle as he walked, indicating the world around him. "Somewhere either within or without this perimeter is a dark blue 2002 Honda Accord Coupe, with the license plate Charlie Foxtrot Kil belonging to one Detective Daniel Reagan. We just have to find it."
Mac jingled an evidence bag he'd been hiding in his hand. "It's a good thing I went to see him then."
"Keys! You've got his keys! Please tell me you have a location, too!"
"Down, boy! Down!" Sheldon laughed, but he looked expectantly at his boss.
"Unfortunately, no. His memory is still spotty." He extricated the keys and threw them at Sheldon. "Have fun!"
"Let's just hope it still works." Glumly, Sheldon and Danny started to search.
"Wait." Danny pursed his lips. "If I was meeting a family member for lunch, where would I park? I don't have any reason to think I'm in danger, so there's no need to hide. So it should be in plain sight. I know the area, and I'm running late so I know I won't get a carpark at the pub." His deductions were interrupted by his phone. He answered it, listened for a moment, and then hung up. "I conclude the car will be found somewhere on the premises of the strip mall a couple of blocks down."
Sheldon snatched Danny's phone out of his hand. He read the call log and scoffed. "Mac told you where to look."
Danny looked at the horizon and whistled, and Sheldon laughed as they ambled down the street and into the parking lot, where they split up and began searching.
"There it is!" Danny yelled to Sheldon, waving him over.
"Are you sure?" Sheldon yelled back.
"Yeah! I'm sure!"
"You don't have to yell so loud, I'm just here," Sheldon said in his ear. He jumped and bumped the car next to him. He held his breath. Luckily, no alarm sounded. "You're so mean," he groused. "That's the one."
"There's not much in it," Danny commented. "Is Mac sure this man has kids?"
"He does."
Danny looked at him. "You know him?"
"I know someone who has kids at his kid's school. Danny Reagan definitely has kids."
With even more resolve, Sheldon pulled on a pair of gloves. "Are you ready?"
"Sure," said Danny, making dead spider motions with his already gloved hands. Together, they examined every inch of the outside and underneath of the car. Once they were both satisfied neither of them were in imminent danger from another explosive device, Sheldon unlocked the car. Opening the driver's door, he bent down and began methodically inspecting the interior of the front of the car. Danny opened the rear door and started inspecting the back seat. When they were satisfied, the car was pristine, they gathered everything up, including the minimal trace they'd found, and headed back to the lab. As they arrived, they were discussing who would return Danny's keys.
"I'll do it!" Adam offered eagerly. He grabbed them and ran over to Mac's office where Mac waved him in. After Adam had stood silently for nearly a minute, he prompted, "Do you want something from me? Or do you have something for me?"
"For you. From you," Adam stuttered.
"Well which is it?" Mac asked, not sure whether to be amused or annoyed at Adam's lack of coherency.
Adam took a deep breath. "Both," he blurted. "I got the results back on those pieces of black plastic we found in the rubble at the bar. They are consistent with a Smith and Wesson Three Nine One Four D A O, which is standard issue throughout the NYPD. This was a bar that was known to be a regular hangout for local cops. I think we have to at least consider that the perpetrator might be one of them."
Mac nodded slowly. "So what do you want me to do about it?"
"Let me share my findings with Officer Janko," Adam requested. "She'll be able to find out which officers have reported their guns lost or stolen within the last three months."
"You should be able to find that out yourself, shouldn't you?" Mac asked.
"Only the official ones. There are always rumours and stories and gossip that I wouldn't be privy to," Adam explained.
"And why exactly do you have to take it over to her? Why can't you just email the information to her? Or give it to her a phone call?" Mac prodded.
"She's at work right now. It'll be quicker this way. I'll be there to answer any questions or points that need clarifying. No playing phone or email tag." It was a weak argument and Adam knew it. So he delivered his coup de grace. "And the younger Reagan works with her, so I can return these keys while I'm there." He opened his palm.
"Okay."
Adam didn't waste time. He ran to the lab, grabbed everything he needed and ran to the elevator. He pressed the 'Down' button and jangled his keys and tapped his foot when it didn't arrive straight away.
"Is our roof going to cave in?"
Adam looked over his shoulder. "Oh hi, Jo. What?"
"Well, you're in such a hurry to get out of here I was sure something bad was going to happen," she kidded him.
"No, no, no," Adam stuttered. "Nothing's wrong. I mean, nothing's going to be wrong. I mean nothing is wrong and nothing is going to be wrong. I hope!" he called back as the elevator arrived and he jumped into it like it was his last chance of salvation. "Bye, Jo!" he called as the doors closed.
"Any idea what that was about?" Jo asked Mac, who had come up behind her.
"A girl would be my guess," Mac grinned, thankful that Adam was already in his car and on his way to Precinct Twelve.
Once there, Adam sucked in a deep breath and stretched. Here goes nothing. "Excuse me?" he said timidly to the first person he found who didn't seem to be busy. "I'm looking for Officer Edit Janko."
"Eddie? Is she expecting you?"
If looks could kill, forget about six, I'd be twelve feet under. Adam's Adam's Apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed nervously.
"Yes," he confirmed. "I'm Adam Ross from the Crime Lab." He handed over his credentials.
"I'll just give her a ring."
She perused his ID as she spoke briefly into the desk phone. Then she handed it back and gestured with her head. "Go that way, hang a left and then you'll just have to look for her, I'm afraid. I'm not sure were exactly she is."
"Thank you very much," Adam replied. He made his way in the direction he was pointed. Thankfully she wasn't hard to find. Well, here goes nothing.
"Hi," Eddie said brightly, standing up to greet him. "Let's go over here, where we hopefully won't be disturbed." As they retired to the back corner of the room, neither of them noticed a dark shadow stealthily moving to be within hearing range of what they were saying.
"I've got everything on my email," Adam told Eddie.
"Here." Eddie quickly tapped a few keys while Adam looked on. A pretty girl who knows her way around a computer, he mused. "There you go." Eddie's voice broke into his thoughts. "Sit. Your evidence, you're typing."
"Slave driver," Adam muttered.
Eddie laughed. "I'll pay you back," she promised.
Eyes ahead, Adam clicked through various screens and finally opened up the first document.
Eddie put her hand on the top of the chair Adam was sitting in and leaned forward. Adam felt her hair fall over his shoulder.
"Maybe you should pull up a chair," Adam suggested. "This might take a while."
Eddie rolled a spare chair over and sat on it backwards. "Talk."
The shadow leaned forward to hear what Adam had to say.
Adam shared what he had told Mac earlier.
"And I need to know that why?" Eddie asked.
"I need your help."
"So says every man I know," Eddie noted drily.
"What?" Adam looked at her in confusion.
"Nothing. What can I do to help?"
"Precinct gossip, rumours and small talk about missing weapons. Or maybe criminal informants talking about stuff suddenly appearing where it isn't meant to be."
"You want me to nark on one of my follow officers?" Eddie asked, not quite believing it. "I don't even know you!" She fiddled with a rip in the top of the chair fabric. "You honestly think it might be one of us that's responsible?"
"You know as well as I do we need to exhaust all possibilities. The plastic could be a complete coincidence, or a break in the case. Whichever it is, I still need your help. Are you with me or not?" Adam said impatiently.
"Hey!" Eddie propelled herself back a few inches. "Just give me a minute. I could be signing my own professional death warrant here."
"We don't have time to waste," Adam insisted. To emphasise his point, he pulled up the next report to the screen.
"Okay," Eddie acquiesced reluctantly. "I'm in. What's this?" Using her feet, she thrust the chair forward so she could see the screen better.
"OW!" they both said in unison as their elbows cracked together when Adam moved the mouse at the same time as Eddie reached the desk..
"Sorry," Adam apologised.
The shadow in the background smirked and slunk away. What a pair of idiots! The criminals of New York have absolutely nothing to fear. They'll get away absolutely scot free every time if those idiot employees at the Crime Lab depend on those two jackasses to supply them with information for their investigations. Which means he'll never be safe. Never!