Chapter 10

"Jane kissed her softly and headed downstairs, that's when she bumped into Korsak who had also received a call. The pair headed to the crime scene together."

Jane and Korsak pulled up to a beautiful estate in one of the more affluent suburbs of Boston. Just like Beacon Hill, West Roxbury was filled with homes of a stately appeal. A safe neighborhood, with a few private schools and one public school flouted as being one of the most dangerous ones in the school system. Jane was weary of this mixed reputation that disguised the actual reason why they sped to the area, leaving her love behind to fend for herself, it better be worth it Jane thought.

Korsak wore his usual bland suit, more beige than usual, the color broken by his brown, grey, and white striped tie. He always wondered what it would be like to enter the sacred area known as one of the wealthiest neighborhoods on the East coast. He yawned, tired from the party he was about to go full force into, thinking how such an incident could have occurred in this otherwise quiet neighborhood.

"Jane, over here, see what I found," Korsak exclaimed anxiously awakening to the reality that something went very wrong at the crime scene. He consulted on an incident like this before, but way out in the country where the houses were spaced acres apart. In rural Missouri when he was visiting one of his childhood friends who became the Sheriff of the little town in Missouri. It was 2004 and the victim met the perpetrator at a dog show. They corresponded online and the victim traveled to the home of the perpetrator to buy a dog. But she strangled the struggling woman and cut out her baby with a knife found in the kitchen, she then fled with the baby. The victim's mother told authorities it looked as though her "stomach had exploded". The baby girl survived with the brutal attacker convicted of murder and is currently on federal death row. Korsak helped the local Sheriff bring justice to the family of the victim in Missouri, and with a look of determination in his eyes, Korsak thought that he could do it again this time with Jane on the case with him.

"Hey Korsak, the victim looks very familiar, I think I saw this woman at my…." Jane paused as she began to examine the thoughts running around in her head. "It couldn't be, this is not possible," Jane said with a puzzled look on her face, her brown eyes going into the distance she wanted to place between herself and this case. Wishing that she had not concluded the possible involvement of someone she had come to entrust her future with. All Jane could gather was what if this had happened to her love? How would she survive knowing that the life that she and Maura were planning to share was ripped so gruesomely from her? The perpetrators of such violent crimes are usually not psychopaths but rather they are psychologically affected by a traumatic event in their lives. "There's just so much blood Korsak," Jane said as she tried to fight the tears about to stream down her face. Pull it together Jane, she thought. You have a case to solve and you've gotta stop this maniac from harming the baby.

Nine times out of ten the baby survives and there are only 48 hours within which to find the person who did this. The medical examiner explained the manner of death, not hesitating to conclude how the baby was snatched. "Fetal abduction, yes that's what it's called Detective Rizzoli. The perpetrator of this crime has no regard for…" Jane stopped the eager medical examiner in her tracks. "No, Sam, please do not make assumptions of what occurred here, we cannot say," Jane remembered how Maura would never have provided her opinion until conducting an autopsy in a sterile environment.

Climbing up the staircase leading into the majestic home of Mr. and Mrs O'hannigan, Jane could feel the sticky blood beneath her black leather ankle-length boots. As Jane ascended the once white staircase she could smell the smoke still rising from the reception area of the O'hannigan's mansion on 9th Street.

How could someone do this Jane thought, the amount of planning required for someone to get away with murder was absent in this crime scene.

"Hey Jane, over here, I think I found something." Korsak found the remnants of a makeshift timer, a matchstick withered down surrounded by a newspaper soaked in gasoline. Giving the perpetrator enough time to exit the crime scene that they tried to mask with a fire.
The temperature of the fire was high enough to burn most of the entrance hall to number 26 9th Street in West Roxbury.
The perimeter of the property was surrounded by perennial bushes, masking the gruesome scene in the young couple's home.

Mr O'Hannigan was a senator on the bench of the national tribunal council for the United Nations stationed in New York. He was not home at the time of the attack on his wife Stella O'Hannigan, who came from old money. The 30-year-old nursery schoolteacher tried for 5 years since the young couple's marriage to bear a child with her 35-year-old husband.

Jane left tracks from the entrance to the bloody scene of the fetal abduction in the sitting room, with tasteful décor now scorched by the fire.

The housekeeper arrived from her daily trip to the grocery store and found the house aflame. Calling 911 from 2 blocks away, when she saw the flames on her way home Sarah Gonzales could not be consoled. "Adios Mio, why would anyone do this to Mrs O'Hannigan?" she asked as her long black hair, curled by the moisture coming from the tears she shed for the loss of her employer. Sarah described Stella as a kind, competent nursery schoolteacher who only wanted to make a difference in the rough parts of Boston.

Volunteering her time at the local youth center and working with drug addicts and abused women trying to get away from their abusive husbands or boyfriends. The downtown rec hall housed the vulnerable and Stella was ready to fund and provide her time to those in need. "Are you aware of any appointments Miss Stella may have had today?" Jane asked Sarah with a concerned look on her face, her hands on the shoulders of the 45-year-old mother of 3 who immigrated from Mexico 10 years ago.

"Yes, actually Miss Stella told me that she was going to meet one of the women from the shelter and take her shopping for clothes. Dr Abdull's appointment was yesterday and…." Jane stopped Sarah mid-sentence and asked "Dr Megan Abdull from Mass Gen Hospital in the city?"
"Yes, that's the one, Miss Stella had an appointment with her as she was helping with the pregnancy. Here is her cellphone maybe it will help you. I'm sorry…I can't talk anymore I just…need some time please Detective."

"Korsak, here take this phone and ask Nina to run a check on the last dialed numbers in the past 2 weeks," Jane instructed Korsak with an earnest look on her face.
"Alright, alright Janie, try and calm down please, I know that you're concerned." Korsak couldn't believe that Jane was so forceful especially since he outranked her, but he understood the urgency in finding the baby. Jane explained to Korsak that Dr Abdull was one of the last people to meet with Stella before her death and she just happened to be Maura's OB/GYN.
There were so many things running through Jane's mind right now. So many 'worst-case' scenarios.
Jane thought back to when she tried reaching Dr. Abdull when Maura was admitted to hospital.
Jane needed to get a hold of Dr. Abdull, immediately.

She tried calling the emergency number on the business card she kept in her wallet when the doctor's cellphone went straight to voicemail.
Could this doctor be involved? Where was the doctor?

Back at the house, the party was winding down when Angela's phone rang. "Hey baby, is everything ok? Why are you calling me from upstairs? The party seems to be winding down, I have asked everyone to keep it down when they leave." Angela would have continued rambling if Jane didn't stop her.
"Ma, I am not home. I got called to a crime scene a while ago. It's really bad, Ma. I need you to check on Maura for me, please. I can't give you any details, but please just check on Maura."

Angela could hear the urgency in Jane's voice. And decided not to question her, which would have been what she typically does. She assured Jane that everything will be fine that she was headed into the house and she would stay with Maura until Jane returned home.

Jane noticed the change in Angela and was very grateful. Angela's nosey personality was what made her such a unique soul but right now Jane really appreciated her mother stepping back and just being there for Jane and Maura, no questions asked.

Angela headed upstairs to the main bedroom to check on Maura and nearly died when she found the bed empty, she looked over at the bathroom and saw the soft glow of Maura's cellphone light. She walked over to the door and softly knocked asking Maura if everything was ok.

"I'm ok Angela, I just couldn't turn on the light because I didn't want to interrupt my sleep any more than this little football star has already," Maura replied.

"Jane has asked me to check up on you, I think that the case she has been called out to has her paranoid. I didn't ask any questions coz I could tell that it had her a wee bit frightened. I will be back to stay with you until Jane gets back, I just need to see the guests out." Angela stated and made her way downstairs.

When Angela reached the landing, she ran into Constance. Constance informed her that she saw all of the guests out. The boys left a message for Angela, that they would see her at Sunday dinner.

"Thank you, Constance. I am just gonna lock up the guest house and head back up to stay with Maura." Angela informed her.

"Is there any particular reason you would be staying with Maura? Is everything ok with Maura and the baby? Where is Jane?" Constance questioned.
"Easy there Constance, you are starting to sound like me. Maybe us spending so much time together organizing the party wasn't good after all." Angela laughed.

"Jane and Korsak were called out to a crime scene earlier and she called me a while ago in a panic. I must say, Janie has really changed since finding out about the baby. Janie has become more careful. I really hope that she could find another job though, I am not comfortable with her leaving Maura home alone at this hour in this big house. Especially with all the psychos they come across." Angela plainly states.

"Well, that does not put me at ease Angela. I will stay the night with you. I will stay in the guest room." Constance advises with such authority that Angela has no time to object.

Jane followed up on every lead she could, trying to stay focussed on the case. All she could do was go over every doctor's appointment they have had. Was Dr. Abdull trying to prep them to steal their baby as well? And in the process murder Maura. This after getting to know the couple.

What if their baby wasn't healthy? Is that what she was waiting for? Or would she take the baby and kill Maura regardless? "Shit, I need to get my head out of my ass and get home. I don't even know if the doctor is involved." Jane said to herself. Or so she thought because Korsak heard her.

"Jane, I think that you are chasing ghosts, please go home. I will finish up here tonight. Go rest, you are of no help to me when you are like this. I am even thinking of kicking you off the case coz you're too close to this one. But coz I respect you I will let you stay on, but you gotta go home now. I'll see you later." Korsak couldn't say tomorrow because they had long passed midnight.

Jane whipped out her phone and dialed her mother's number hoping that she wasn't waking her but realistically knowing that that was a joke. She needed to let her know that she was on her way home and that she would crash in the guest bedroom to not wake her sleeping fiancée.

When her mother's phone rang and went to voicemail, Jane assumed that she was asleep it was 3:47 am after all.

Thank you for all the kind reviews, please stay safe.