Chapter 11

When Frost, Korsak, and Frankie arrived, they found Jane still kneeling next to Maura's things.

"She's gone," she said hoarsely when she saw them. "He took her. He took her." She looked up and made eye contact with Frankie. "How are we ever going to find her? What if we can't?"

"Don't say that," said Frankie sharply. "We'll find her. Of course we will."

"We worked so hard to find the others, and we couldn't. He's too good."

"We're going to find her," insisted Frankie. "He'll make a mistake soon." He knelt down next to his sister and put his arm around her. She leaned against him and started sobbing.

"I can't live without her, Frankie. I can't."

"You won't have to." Frankie looked helplessly at Frost and Korsak, but their expressions were not reassuring.

"Why don't we get Jane back inside and make her some tea," Korsak finally suggested. "Maybe then we can talk some more and figure out where to go next."

"I don't want any tea," Jane insisted as Frankie helped her to her feet. "We don't have time for tea. We have to try to find her before he hurts her."

Everyone gave her that helpless look again.

"Maura needs you to be able to think clearly," Frankie said, leading everyone inside. "You know if she were here she would make you a cup of tea to calm your nerves, so that's what I'm going to do." He searched through in the kitchen while Jane slumped into a counter chair, head in her hands.

"He's been taunting us for a while," said Frost. "Maybe he didn't take her for the same reason he took the others. Maybe he took one of our own because he wants something from us."

"That could be," said Korsak hopefully. "If that's the case, he might not hurt her the way he did the others."

Jane peered at them over her fingers. "I wish I could believe that," she said, "but she's his type. She's the right age, right body type, right hair color. This is the kind of woman he goes for. He might have zeroed in on her to taunt us further, but if he just wanted someone for ransom or something, why not take me or one of the other cops? Why take the medical examiner, who happens to resemble the other women?" She sighed. "I want you guys to be right. I do. But my gut says he took her because he wants her. And we all know what that means he's going to do to her."

The men shifted uncomfortably, knowing she was right.

"I'll go with Frost to interview the neighbors, see if anyone saw anything," said Korsak. "When we're done, we'll all go back to the station."

Frost and Korsak went out the back door. Frankie put a cup of tea in front of Jane.

"Please drink this," he said. "For Maura."

Jane bitterly sipped at the tea, but her hands were shaking so hard she could hardly hold the cup. Unable to sit still anymore, she got up and walked around, still trying to choke down the horrible tea Frankie made. She stopped when she got to the fireplace. Maura never used to put up photographs, but since Jane had moved in, she had framed several pictures and lined them up on the mantle. They were pictures of Maura and Jane, mostly, but there were some with other Rizzolis as well. There was a picture Frost had taken the day he helped Jane move out of her apartment, where they were standing on the sidewalk and Jane had grabbed Maura from behind and lifted her off her feet and they were both laughing. There was a picture of the whole family at the church before TJ's christening. There was a shot Ma had taken of Jane and Maura hugging while Maura kissed Jane's cheek. There was even a picture Maura had trustingly asked a stranger to take when they were out on a date. They were standing in front of a restaurant, both wearing nice dresses, and Jane was behind Maura with her arms around her. Maura had her hands on Jane's hands, Jane had her face against Maura's hair, and they were both smiling happily, even though Jane had been terrified that the stranger would steal Maura's phone.

Jane turned away from the pictures and looked at her brother with tears streaming down her face.

"This is what she was proudest of," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Us. The life we were making together. Her becoming a Rizzoli. Us, me and her, together. She was so happy, Frankie. We both were."

"Don't say 'was,' Jane. We'll get her back and you'll both be happy again."

"But he's hurting her." She forgot about the teacup she was holding and barely noticed when it fell from her hands, shattering on the floor. "I failed her, Frankie. I should have seen this coming. I knew she was his type, but I still didn't think-"

"You didn't fail her. None of us are gonna fail her, okay?" He took Jane's arm, gently. "Forget about the cup for now. Let's go find Frost and Korsak, see if any neighbors saw anything."