Chapter 11

Mac was yawning as he came out of the elevator at the office. He looked into the lab, but there was no one in there. He supposed Danny and Lindsey had decided to take the day. He didn't see any reason for them to be here anyway. He went to his office and hung his jacket up. There was even more paperwork on his desk. There was always something going through this lab. There were samples from other cases and even hospitals, and Mac had to sign all the approvals and reports.

Mac sat down at his desk. He wondered if Adam was in the computer lab. He should be unless he was goofing off like everyone else around here. Then again, Adam was always goofing off even in the computer lab. Mac looked at his computer. He decided he would play around on it a while. He had been on Facebook before. He wondered if he still had his account. He had not been on there in ages. He went to the website and typed in his name and password. He discovered that he was still on there. What now? He didn't know why he ever went on there and made an account. He thought he must have been bored that day like he was today.

Mac logged out of that and got busy on his paperwork. Then he wondered if Amanda had an account on Facebook. He thought maybe they could talk during the day if she did.

Mac worked on his paperwork for two hours, and then Adam came in looking nervous like he usually did. "Mac," he said.

"What?" Mac asked, without looking up.

"Where is everybody?"

"There are no cases. Everybody is on call."

"Oh."

Mac looked at Adam. "Is that what you came in here for?" he asked.

"No," Adam said.

"Then what is it?"

"I saw something weird on the internet."

"Weird? I suppose there are a lot of weird things on the internet."

"Yeah, but this was over the top."

"So, what is it?"

"You better come and look."

Mac got up and followed Adam to the computer lab. "Okay," Adam said. "I was on this website and I found this."

Mac watched as a message came on. He was shocked at what he was looking at. He looked at Adam. "This is pornographic!" he said. "What are you doing watching something like this? And what is it doing on here?"

"Just watch."

Mac looked at the screen again. "You watched all this for…" Mac scowled as he saw what Adam was talking about. "She doesn't look like she's being forced, and she doesn't look anymore underage than the others." Mac stood up and put his hands on his hips. "What are you saying? They should be kicked off the internet? That's not my department."

"But, Mac, they were drinking and I think they gave this girl something. What girl wants to have sex with that many guys?"

"Well, I don't want to see anymore." Mac pressed a button to stop the video. "Where is this coming from?"

"I was trying to trace it."

Mac folded his arms. "Is this what you're doing in here? Watching pornographic videos?"

Adam typed on the computer. "No," he said. "I just came across it while I was surfing the videos. Most of the videos are just fun."

"I thought they screened this stuff before it went over the air," Mac said.

"I don't think they screen everything. And look how many hits it has."

Mac rolled his eyes. "And you think they drugged this girl? Why do you think that?"

"Because of this," Adam said. He pressed some more buttons and zoomed in on one of the frames.

Mac watched one of the guys drop something into the girl's drink before he gave it to her. "How did she get there with all those guys?" he asked.

"Maybe she was somebody's girlfriend and he decided to share her with the others?"

"Trace this and let me know when you find where it came from. I'll see what's going on."

"I didn't watch the whole thing," Adam said. "You think I should watch the rest of it?"

Mac stared at him a moment. "I don't think you should be on this website here in this lab," he said. "But go ahead."

"I guess we should see how it ends."

Mac didn't think he wanted to see anymore, but he supposed he had seen worse, although he couldn't think of anything worse right now. Their fears soon came to fruition as the assault became violent. The drugs wore off and the girl started to fight her attackers. Mac was horrified. "How can this still be coming over the air like this?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Adam said.

"You get in touch with this website and you tell them to shut this down now! I want to know where this came from!"

Mac left the computer lab. He was angry now. He got his phone and called Don Flack. "Yeah," Don said.

"Don, we have a problem," Mac said.

"What kind of problem?"

"Get up here and I'll explain it."

"I'm on my way."

Soon, Don was in the lab, and Danny and Lindsey happened to show up too. Mac had Adam show them all the video. They were shocked. "So, these guys are stupid enough to record a rape and broadcast it?" Don asked.

"We have to find them and that girl," Mac said.

"You think they killed her?" Lindsey asked.

"We're going to find out."

"How can this happen? Do they think they can get away with that?"

"Obviously, they do."

"They don't call any names on there," Adam said. "We can't find her that way."

"She looks pretty young," Danny pointed out. "Maybe they're college students."

"We have to find out where this came from before we can get that far," Mac said. "It might not even be here in the city."

"It's not," Adam said. "According to this, it came from Chicago."

"Then report it to the Chicago P.D. It's not our problem if it's over there."

"I'll report it," Don said. "It will give me something to do." He took his phone off his side as he was heading for the elevator.

Mac was glad that it wasn't there in New York. He didn't want to get into anything like that. He wanted to make sure something was done about it though. He was sure the Chicago PD would do something. He wondered if the girl was still alive. He didn't know how she could be after all that. Mac went back to his office to work on his paperwork again. He wondered why that girl was there with all those guys. Did she know it was going to be that way? Mac supposed she trusted someone there. He shook his head. He didn't want to keep thinking about this. It was too upsetting. He had to finish his paperwork.

By that evening, Mac had all his paperwork done. He couldn't believe they still didn't have a case. However, when he got downstairs, the precinct was full of offenders. He saw Don sitting at his desk talking to a guy handcuffed to the chair. Mac thought everyone must have come alive this evening. Well, he didn't have anything to do with all this, so he was going home.

Mac went out and got a cab. He decided he would go to Amanda's apartment before he went home. He went inside and knocked on the door, planning to surprise her. He heard the chain slide. Amanda opened the door and looked at him with a tear-stained face. Mac was alarmed. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Come in," Amanda said.

Mac went in. Amanda closed the door, and then she was in tears. Mac hugged her to him. "What's going on?" he asked. He looked at her and wiped tears off her face.

Amanda tried to compose herself enough to tell him. "It's Jennifer," she said.

"What happened?"

"She and five of her kids were on their way home…" Amanda buried her face in Mac's chest and sobbed.

Mac could feel her trembling. "What happened?" he asked again.

Amanda could hear Mac's strong heart beating. She put her arms around him. "They were in a wreck," she said. "Two of the children were killed. Jennifer is being flown to a trauma center in Boston."

Mac wiped a tear off his own face. "I'm so sorry, Sweetheart," he whispered.

"I don't want to go up there by myself, but Mother needs me."

"I'll go with you." Mac tilted her chin up and looked at her. "You don't have to go alone."

Amanda wiped her eyes. "I don't know what to do first," she said.

"Well, first, I'll call and get us a flight to Boston," Mac said. "You pack some things. I'll go and pack some stuff myself, and I'll be back."

Amanda got her purse and took her car keys out. "Take the car," she said.

Mac didn't know if he wanted to drive that expensive car or not. "Take it," Amanda insisted.

Mac nodded. "Alright. I'll get us a flight."

"I love you, Mac."

Mac kissed her. "I love you too." He wiped more tears off her face. "I'll be back soon."

Amanda watched Mac leave and then she burst into tears. She was so glad he was with her. She wouldn't have to go through this alone.

Mac went out to the car and headed for his apartment. He remembered seeing Jennifer and her children on New Year's Day. He couldn't believe this was happening. He called the airport and got them a flight to Boston, which would leave in about three hours. Mac got to his apartment and packed some clothes. He had even forgotten to bring his other luggage from his office. He called Danny and told him what was going on and that he would be gone for a day or two.

Mac went back to Amanda's apartment. She had her suitcase ready, so they got a cab to the airport. They went through the security checkpoint and went to the waiting area at their gate. Amanda held on to Mac's arm and lay her head on his shoulder. Mac didn't know how to comfort her. He figured there was nothing one could really say in a situation like this. Soon, their flight boarded and they were on their way to Boston.

When the plane landed, Mac and Amanda got a cab to a hotel where they checked in before they went on to the trauma center. Mac had no idea where they were supposed to go. The center was huge. They finally found someone who could tell them where Jennifer was. They went up to that floor and met Amanda's mother, Tammy, and Jake in the waiting room. Matti looked very pale. Amanda hugged her.

Mac shook Jake's hand. "I'm so sorry about this," Mac said. "If you need anything, just tell me."

"Thanks," Jake said.

Mac could see that lost look in Jake's eyes. He knew how he was feeling, but at least he had hope right now. Amanda came over to Jake and hugged him. Mac looked at Matti, who looked like she was on the verge of collapse, so he hugged her. "I'm so sorry, Ma'am," he said.

Mac was surprised that Matti leaned heavily on him. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you," she said. "Can you forgive me?"

"Don't worry about that," Mac said. He looked at her. "I hope Jennifer will be okay."

Matti wiped at tears. "Two of my little babies," she sobbed.

Mac looked at Jake who was sitting down in a chair just staring at the floor. Mac thought he must be in shock. Tammy came over to Mac. "Thanks for coming with Amanda," she said.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Mac said.

Mac wasn't sure he wanted Tammy to hug him, but she did anyway. She put her arms around him under his jacket and massaged his back. Mac backed away and went over to Amanda, who was sitting down now. He sat down and she leaned on his shoulder. They waited for four hours before a doctor came out with any news. He didn't have much hope that Jennifer would recover. Mac was shocked. He looked at the others. They were all devastated. Matti wept out loud. Mac pressed his eyes. He didn't know what to say. He held Amanda to him while she sobbed.

They stayed at the hospital until Mac was yawning almost every minute. Matti came over to him. "Why don't you go to your hotel and get some rest?" she asked. "You don't have to stay all night."

Mac considered that. "I didn't want to abandon all of you," he said.

"Go. You've done more than enough."

Mac stood up. "I'm really sorry."

"Thank you."

Amanda stood up. "I'll go too," she said. She looked at her mother. "Let us know if anything happens."

"I will," Matti replied.

Mac and Amanda went out and got a cab to the hotel. Mac kissed Amanda outside her hotel room. "Sleep well," Mac said. "Doctors aren't always right, you know."

"I know," Amanda said. "Won't you come in?"

Mac followed her into the room. "I want to get down there and get some rest too," he said.

"Stay with me." Amanda put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I need you."

"I don't think this is the right time for this," Mac said.

"I do." Amanda pushed him against the wall. "Don't push me away." She started to pull her shirt off, but Mac pulled it back down.

"Don't do that," he said. He opened the door. "I have to go."

"Fine!" Amanda said and slammed the door.

Mac stared at the door. He was not going to do the wrong thing no matter what she said. He went down to his room and got ready for bed. When he got lain down, he heard a knock at the door. He stared at the door a moment, but then he got up and went to it. "Who is it?" he asked.

"It's me," Amanda said. "Who are you expecting?"

Mac opened the door and let her in. Amanda was dressed in her long, red coat. Mac closed the door. "I just don't think this is the right time for this," he said. "We're both under a lot of stress."

"Do you always use that for an excuse?" Amanda asked.

Mac sighed. He supposed he deserved that. "I guess I do," he said.

"Is there ever a right time with you?"

Mac stared at her. "Yeah, there is."

Amanda opened her coat and let it fall off. Mac thought he would die. She was wearing nothing but shoes, and she kicked them off. Amanda walked over to him and turned his face toward her. "Don't try to seduce me," he said.

"Then take me," Amanda whispered.

"No!" Mac went to the door. "Put your coat back on."

Amanda glared at him and put her coat and shoes back on. "Fine," she said. "I'll just go and find someone else at the bar down there." She stalked out the door.

"Hold on," Mac said. "You don't have to do something stupid."

Amanda went to the rental car and headed down to the bar. Mac couldn't believe she was reacting this way. He knew it had to have something to do with her grief. He couldn't just let her go like that. He knew she would probably find someone out there who would take her up on her offer. Mac got his clothes back on and his jacket and went outside. He could see the bar from the hotel. It had neon lights on it and what looked like a dancing girl. He figured he could just walk down there.

As Mac was walking, the area seemed to get darker. He didn't think there were any street lights where he was now. He was starting to get an eerie feeling. He started to walk faster, but then someone stepped out in front of him. Mac stopped and then realized there were three others behind him. "What do you want?" he asked.

"What you doing down here in our turf?" the one in front of him asked.

"I'm just walking down there to the bar."

They shoved Mac into the alley, where there were two more waiting. "Look, I don't want any trouble," Mac said. "I'm not from here and I didn't know this was your territory."

They shoved Mac against the wall and one of them took his wallet out. Mac swallowed, knowing they would see his badge. "He's a cop!" the one with the wallet said.

"You trying to pull one over on us?" one of the others asked.

"He's from New York."

"I don't have any jurisdiction here," Mac said. "Just stop this now."

Mac suddenly whirled around and landed his elbow in the nose of the one who seemed to be the leader of the crowd. He started to lay another one out, but someone hit him across the shoulders with a metal rod. Mac did his best to keep from falling. His efforts to fight were futile. There were too many of them. Mac did not give up, but they beat him until he could not stand up and then they kicked him until he passed out.

The next thing Mac knew, an old black man was standing over him. Mac put his hand up as though to protect himself. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you," the man said. "I need to get you out of here before they come back." He pulled at Mac until he got him up, even though Mac was almost screaming with pain. "You are all messed up," the man said. "My name is Franklin." He had Mac's wallet in his hand, which the gang had left. "You Mac Taylor?"

Mac didn't think he could talk. "That's alright," Franklin said. "Let's get you out of here."

Mac almost whined when they started walking. "Oh, God," he moaned. He didn't think he had ever hurt this bad in his entire life.

"Come on. I'm going to get you into my house."

Mac felt tears rolling down his face. He didn't know if he was crying or if they were just watering. They soon came to a small white house. Franklin got Mac inside and laid him on a bed. He got a pan of warm water and a cloth and sat down beside Mac. "How did you get down there like that?" he asked, as he touched Mac's face with the cloth. He opened Mac's jacket and noticed the blood on his side. He pulled his shirt up and one of the ribs was coming through the flesh. "Uh, oh," Franklin said. "I'm gonna have to call you an ambulance."

Mac listened as Franklin called the ambulance. He knew he was crying now. He thought all his ribs must be broken, and he wondered about his leg. Franklin came back to him and began to dab his wounds again. "You gonna be alright," Franklin said. "They'll get you to the hospital in no time. Is there anybody you want me to call? Where did you come from?"

"Hotel," Mac said.

"You had a room down there?" Franklin found the hotel key in Mac's jacket pocket. "I'll get your stuff for you and bring it to the hospital. You don't have to worry about anything."

Mac didn't know when the ambulance came, but he knew when they started loading him onto the stretcher. He almost screamed with the pain, but he was trying not to. Soon, he was on his way to the hospital. He thought of Amanda. He hoped she was okay.

The next thing Mac knew, he was in the emergency room. They were trying to take off his jacket. He moaned loudly. "We're going to give you something for that pain in a moment," the nurse assured him.

Finally, they got his jacket off and cut his shirts off. Then they put IV's in his arms. Mac didn't know anything else after that. When the doctor was operating, he wondered why Mac didn't have a punctured lung or something else punctured. One of his ribs was so splintered, it had to be removed completely. Another was broken in two and had to have screws in it, and the other was broken almost in half. On the other side, three ribs were broken in two. The doctor was surprised that there was no internal bleeding. He didn't know if he had seen such a brutal beating. He thought it was no wonder Mac had screamed when they were trying to get his clothes off.

When Mac opened his eyes, which wasn't very much, since they were swollen almost shut, a nurse was leaning over him. He couldn't hear anything but his own breathing and he couldn't feel anything. The nurse stroked his hair and said something to him, but Mac didn't know what she said. He just drifted off again.

Meanwhile, Franklin had gone to the hotel and gotten Mac's things. Amanda went to Mac's room and knocked on the door. Of course, she didn't get an answer. She had come back feeling stupid for the way she had acted. She didn't know why he wouldn't answer the door. She tried to call him, but there was no answer. All she got was the voice mail. "Mac, open the door," she said, not knowing that he wasn't there. She went back to her room thinking that he must really be mad at her. She couldn't blame him. She had acted like a fool. She would see him in the morning if he had not already left. She went to the front desk and found that Mac had already checked out. A different clerk had come in after Franklin checked Mac out, so he didn't know that someone else had checked him out.

"You mean he already checked out?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, number one-thirty five has already checked out," the man said. "The key is here."

Amanda was devastated as she went back to her room. What had she done? She couldn't believe he had just gone back to New York. She cried herself to sleep…

Mac woke up the next morning. He stared at the ceiling. He had the crazy thought that he wasn't sure he was in his body. Franklin had told the police everything he knew about the situation, which wasn't much. All he knew was that Mac was beaten to a pulp and he found him. He had an idea of who did it though, and he told the police as much. They were waiting for Mac to get to where he could tell them something.

Amanda's sister had died during the night, so she was with her mother, although she was still thinking of Mac. Matti had wanted to know where Mac was. She couldn't believe Amanda had done what she did, and she really couldn't believe Mac had just left like that. She couldn't think about that right now though. Her daughter was dead, and there were five little children with no mother and a grieving husband who would need a lot of help.

The next morning, Amanda had to go back to New York because of her job. Her sister would not be buried until two days later, and she had some business to take care of. She couldn't really help anymore with anything, and her mother had told her to go ahead and do what she had to do. Amanda arrived at her apartment and took her luggage in and then got dressed in a pants suit. Instead of going straight to the office, she went to the precinct.

Don Flack saw Amanda come in. She came over to him. "Is Mac here?" she asked.

"I thought he was with you," Don said. "I haven't seen him if he's here."

"Well, he didn't answer his phone at home and he didn't come to the door, so I thought he might be here."

"Let me check." Don got his phone and called up to Mac's office…

Sheldon heard the phone ring in Mac's office…again. He thought that phone must ring all the time. He went into the office and picked up the phone. "Mac Taylor's office," he answered.

"Sheldon, is Mac up there?" Don asked.

"Of course not. Why would I be answering his phone? I haven't seen him since he left the other day."

"Well, I was just checking, because Amanda is here and she doesn't know where Mac is."

"You mean he didn't leave Boston with her?"

"No."

"I guess you better ask her then."

Don hung up the phone and looked at Amanda. "I thought Mac was with you up there," he said.

"Well, we had a little disagreement and I stormed off and when I came back he was gone and he checked out of the hotel," Amanda said. "All I know is, he must have come back to New York. He wasn't at the hospital."

Don was confused now. That didn't sound like Mac at all. "He didn't even tell you he was leaving?" he asked.

"No, we had an argument," Amanda said. "I guess he was upset. If you see him will you just tell him that I want to talk and I didn't do it?"

Don stared at her a moment. "Didn't do what?"

"Never mind that. He will know what I mean. Will you just tell him?"

"Sure."

Amanda left for her office. Don thought about all that. He knew Mac wouldn't just run away from a situation. He couldn't see Mac leaving and not telling Amanda. He got his phone and called Mac's cell phone, but of course, there was no answer; there was no answer at his apartment. Don wondered where Mac could be, and why wasn't he answering his cell phone. He supposed Mac had a right to disappear if he wanted, but he didn't think he would do that.

Don shifted in his chair. He was worried, but Mac was a grown man. He might show up in a little while. Danny and the others were working on a case. They had not sent the text to Mac because they thought he was in Boston. Don called up to the lab again. "Crime lab," Lindsey answered.

"Lindsey, when was the last time you guys heard from Mac?" Don asked.

"I haven't heard from him since he went to Boston," Lindsey answered. "Why?"

"Well, no one seems to know where he is."

"I'm sure he would call if he was in trouble."

"That's just the thing, he doesn't answer his cell or his home phone either."

"Maybe he's still in Boston."

"Amanda was just here. She doesn't know where he is either."

"Why?"

"They had a spat. He was gone when she went back to the hotel."

"I don't know, Don, but I'm busy. Mac can take care of himself."

"Right."

Don hung up the phone. He supposed he was overreacting, but he couldn't forget when Mac was being held captive by that other woman. But, Amanda was here, so that wasn't the case this time. Maybe he was delayed at the airport. He was sure they would find out eventually…