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Chapter 37

B.P.D. Homicide Bullpen – Friday at 9 a.m.

I can't believe there's still no sign of Paddy Doyle. The entire damn country has been alerted to be on the lookout for him, and still nothing. Not one damn promising lead in over a week.

To add to my misery, we are no closer to catching the fucking Apprentices. Maura is obsessed with what looks like cigarette burns to me, Dr. Lewis, and Kent, but she insists that it's something else. And from experience, I know Maura is always right. She will not give it up until she identifies exactly what made that mark on the two bodies. Then there's the single hair we found at the scene. One fucking hair, but it didn't have the root attached, so no way to run D.N.A. All we know it's color, reddish-brown.

The gun we found in the Apprentices' new crime scene is untraceable. Another fucking ghost gun. It blows my mind that nowadays, two hundred bucks buys a 9 mm and gets it delivered to your door by the U.S. Postal Service. Or, for a few more dollars, you can have a homemade machine gun. This blows my mind every time I think about it. Quite honestly, I still can't believe how easy it really is to obtain a weapon.

And we still can't identify who poisoned Maura's flowers either. Maura insisted that we take the new flower arrangement home. She didn't want to risk it, but a part of me feels like the fucking Apprentices' won. Maura should be able to enjoy the flowers anywhere she damn well pleases. But my gut tells me it's the fucken Apprentices' who are responsible. And I don't want them to ruin the flower arrangement again because it would upset Maura terribly. Making her happy is my reason for living now.

My phone beeps. I read the text message, and my heart stops. Fuck, my life just got very complicated. I only think about it for a minute. Fucking Paddy Doyle has just offered me something that I can't refuse.

Hoyt's Apprentices.

I quickly write Maura a letter and hope she can forgive me.

I'm damn lucky that Mr. Grant is in with Cavanaugh right now. Ms. Martin went to get Mr. Grant's forgotten phone, and Mr. Sanders seems more interested in talking to Graham than keeping an eye on me.

I never imagined that ditching my bodyguards would be this easy.

R&I

"Mr. Sanders, where's the detective?" I ask as I return to the Bullpen after my twenty-minute meeting with the lieutenant. Detective Rizzoli is not in sight.

"Ladies' room," Sanders answers and simply continues his conversation with Detective Graham.

"Why aren't you at the door?" I frown. He's not supposed to let her out of his sight. Before he can say a word, I run to the ladies' room, and it's bloody empty. I yell, "She's bloody gone, Sanders! And she left her bloody bulletproof vest behind!"

"The detective is a big girl. She doesn't need a babysitter," Detective Graham interjects.

"I'm not bloody talking to you, Detective Graham," I snap at the detective.

To my relief, Graham shuts his mouth while I loudly ask, "Did you not understand your assignment?! What are a bodyguard's duties, Sanders? I bloody know that the first one is not to let them out of your bloody sight!"

Before Sanders can open his mouth, Cavanaugh comes in yelling, "What the hell is going on!?"

"Rizzoli gave Sanders the bloody slip!" I answer angrily.

"Shit, let me call downstairs to see if someone saw her leave. She might have run off to look for Paddy Doyle," Cavanaugh says as he runs back into his office.

I walk into B.R.I.C. and order Officer Holiday and Byron, "Show me the security footage for the last half an hour. We're looking for the detective."

"Crap, she ran off, didn't she?" Officer Holiday says as she begins to work.

"Yes, the news that Paddy Doyle broke out of prison worried her tremendously. Maybe she went off looking for him," I answer. I'm starting to sweat, and my head is beginning to throb. When I tell the Isles' that Rizzoli gave us the slip, they're going to want to do more than fire me.

"There she is. She only has 17 minutes on us," Officer Holiday says.

Martin runs in and asks, "What the bloody hell is going on?"

"The detective gave Sanders the bloody slip," I explain.

Martin rounds on Sanders and shoves him while yelling, "Where the hell were you?! If you had followed her to the ladies' room and stood by the door as you should have, she wouldn't have been able to leave! You knew she was a flight risk. Aldrich, Harvey, and I told you! You're such a bloody idiot. We better get her back!"

I want nothing more than to throttle Sanders right now, but we don't have time for that. So I get in between them and loudly order, "Enough! We don't have time for this! I'll deal with Sanders after we get the detective back!"

If looks could kill, Sanders would probably be dead. Martin steps back but promises, "If we don't get her back, I'm going to hurt you, Sanders."

Sanders should be concerned about his safety. When Harvey and Armstrong find out, they might take turns with Martin. I now turn my attention to Officer Holiday and ask, "How would she get a vehicle?"

"All she has to do is walk up to any uniform and tell them she's going to borrow their car. The entire department knows who's Detective Jane Rizzoli. No one is going to say no," Officer Holiday reports.

"Pull the S.U.V. to the back entrance of the Morgue and do it quickly," I angrily order Sanders. I need to get him out of my sight before I do something that will get me or Martin arrested. The bloody bloke runs off without saying a word. I'm living my worse nightmare; I can't believe she gave us the slip. Brittany and I are going to have words.

Cavanaugh walks back and says, "A uniform gave her his car and put out an A.P.B. for her and the patrol car."

"Can you track the car?" I quickly ask.

"Yes, but Rizzoli knows how to disable the tracker," Cavanaugh says.

"Bloody hell, at least try. What about her phone? Can you track that?"

"Not if she turned it off," Holiday says.

"Do any of you have any bloody idea where she might have gone?" I ask desperately. I need something to go on.

"Southie. That's Paddy Doyle's territory," Cavanaugh says.

I look at Byron and order, "Text me directions and see if you can track the car using street cameras."

"I'll try but to remember this isn't London. They don't have CCTV cameras as we do," Byron as he begins to work.

"Can you see the last text messages, emails, phone calls she's received?" I ask.

"Yeah, give me a minute," Holiday says as she begins her search.

I turn to Martin and order, "Go riffle through her desk and see if she left any clues of where she might have gone."

After a few minutes, Martin comes in with an envelope and the detective's gun. Great, she ran off unarmed. Martin says as she hands me the envelope, "It's addressed to Dr. Isles."

"I got it! She got a text message with an address and instructions to go alone if she wanted to find out who the Apprentices' are," Officer Holiday says.

"Put it up on the screen," Cavanaugh orders.

The text reads:

I know who the Apprentices are, and if you want their identities, you will meet me in an hour. You must come alone and unarmed. No bodyguards and no gun. If you don't follow my instructions, I'll disappear.

43 Briar Way.

-P

"Shit, it's Paddy Doyle," Detective Rizzoli swears and becomes very agitated, and I can't blame him.

I look at the lieutenant and say, "Arrange for your S.W.A.T. team and the F.B.I. to meet us at that address. And hurry."

Cavanaugh nods and walks out.

I look at Martin and say, "Let's go. I'll inform Dr. Isles what has happened and give her the letter the detective left for her. Maybe it will help us."

"She's going to want to come along, Aldrich," Martin says.

"We can't take her with us. It's too dangerous," I reply.

"Aldrich, if we don't take her with us, she'll fire us. We can't force her to stay, can we?" Martin ponders.

"Bloody hell, the only person that can keep her here is Constance Isles. I'm going to send her a text and tell her she needs to get here A.S.A.P. I don't have time right now to explain what has happened and have her read me the riot act before she fires me. That can wait till we come back. You and Lewis will stay here with Dr. Isles," I explain as I begin to text Constance. I'm going to block her number temporarily. I need to concentrate on the task at hand, and she's the only one who can officially fire us. If she can't talk to me, she can't fire me.

"Are we allowed to use force to keep Dr. Isles here?" Martin nervously asks.

I sigh and answer, "If necessary, but don't worry. I'll take all responsibility."

"I'll pull Lewis aside and let her know the plan," Martin offers. I simply nod my head. All my attention is going to be on Dr. Isles.

I quickly make my way to the elevator with Martin in toe. I can't believe I lost the detective. I should have left Sanders downstairs and left Armstrong with Rizzoli; she wouldn't have been able to give him the slip.

Dr. Isles is downstairs in her office. Even if she fires me, I'm not going to stop till I get the detective back. Technically only Constance Isles can fire me.

The elevator ride to the basement feels like it's taking forever. When the elevator door finally opens, we see Armstrong standing in front of Dr. Isles's door. When he sees us, he immediately asks, "What's wrong? What are you doing here? Where's the detective?"

"The detective gave Sanders the slip," I answer honestly.

"Bloody hell, and where the hell were you, Martin?!" Armstrong roars.

Before Martin or I can answer Armstrong, the office door opens, and Dr. Isles comes into view. Darlene is standing right behind her. She looks at Armstrong and asks, "What's wrong, Mr. Armstrong? I heard you raise your voice."

Martin signals Lewis and Harvey to join her, and I brace myself for the coming conversation.

Armstrong doesn't say a word and instead glares at me. I take a deep breath and answer, "Dr. Isles, the detective, gave us the slip. She's been gone for almost thirty minutes. We have an address that we are on our way to search."

Her hand goes to her mouth, and fear fills her eyes as she angrily says. "How could you allow this to happen, Mr. Grant? You were warned that this was a possibility. I want to know what happened."

"I forgot my bloody cell in the S.U.V., and I sent Ms. Martin to retrieve it while I took a meeting with the lieutenant. I left Sanders in the Bullpen with the detective. Your detective excused herself to use the ladies' room, and by the time I came out of the meeting, she was gone. She gave bloody Sanders the slip. The detective left her bulletproof vest and weapon. Officer Holiday recovered her last text, and she left this letter for you," I shamefully explain as I hand her the letter. Harvey has now joined us, and she's flushed and furious. She and I will have a conversation about Sanders as soon as I get Detective Rizzoli back.

Dr. Isles takes the letter and immediately begins to read it. We follow her into her office and patiently wait till she finishes. Fresh tears are running down her face. Finally, she looks at me and tearfully says, "She apologizes for running off. Paddy Doyle will kill her, Mr. Grant."

"I should have stayed with her," Armstrong murmurs. He's angry, and again I wish I had left him with the detective.

"I want her back, Mr. Grant. And I don't care what you have to do, but I want Jane back. I warned you she might runoff. You have no excuse for this failure. This should have never have happened," Dr. Isles angrily says as tears roll down her face.

"I'll get her back. I won't rest till you have her back," I promise as I look at my feet. I've never felt so ashamed in my life. Sanders is the one who screwed up, but I'm responsible for every member of my team. This is my failure.

"Alive or dead, Mr. Grant?" Dr. Isles tearfully asks.

I can't answer that question. It freezes me to this spot. I can't promise that I'm going to get her detective back alive. For all I know, the detective could already be dead. So I choose to ignore Dr. Isles's question. Instead, I turn to Martin and Lewis and order, "Both of you stay here with her. Neither of you leaves this room until we come back."

"I want to go with you. Jane might need medical care," Dr. Isles' says as she grabs her medical bag. She's trying to wipe her tears away and compose herself.

"I'm sorry, but I won't risk you. We don't have time to argue. Your mother should join you shortly, and I'll call you as soon as possible and let you know what happened," I quickly explain. I won't risk her getting hit by a stray bullet or something. I already lost one of my charges. I refuse to lose two.

I walk out, ignoring Dr. Isles's pleas to allow her to come with us. Cavanaugh just texted me and said they were on their way to the address. Sanders is waiting for us in the back lot. I hope we're not too late.

R&I

I can't believe Aldrich blocked me. It's the only explanation for all my calls to go into his voice mail. I called Maura, and she was sobbing. It took me a few minutes to understand what was happening. And to be honest, a part of me still can't believe it. Jane gave Aldrich the slip. Aldrich, for heaven's sake. She took off to see Paddy Doyle because he promised her Hoyt's Apprentices. Aldrich better get her back, or he's going to be the one who needs a bodyguard.

As the elevator opens to Maura's office, I steel myself to what I'm going to see. I hate seeing Maura in any pain. And God forbid, we don't get Jane back alive and well. I knock on the door and grab the handle, and to my surprise, the door is locked. I call out, "Maura darling. It's me."

Ms. Martin opens the door, and the scene that greets me breaks my heart. I go to her, and as I take her in my arms, I promise, "We're going to get her back, darling. I promise we'll get her back."

"They didn't let me go with them to search for Jane. Instead, they forced me to stay here," Maura cries as she glares at Dr. Lewis and Ms. Martin.

"Maura darling, it was too dangerous. I'm sure we'll get news soon," I soothe her. I'm grateful that Aldrich had enough sense to make sure to leave Maura here. I'm also thankful to Ms. Martin and Dr. Lewis for keeping her here.

"What if he kills her, Mother?" Maura weeps.

I don't know how to answer that question. Lying to Maura won't do any good. So we sit on the couch, and I rock her and tell her everything will be okay. I'm trying to be strong for her. Falling apart won't do her or Jane any good. I have to be strong to get them through this. But the only way this situation can be fixed is to get Jane back alive.

Aldrich Grant better make things right, or he's going to have a major problem.

Me.

Maximum Security Prison Day Room – Friday at 10 a.m.

I toss the newspaper on the table in fucking disgust. Paddy Doyle, Paddy Doyle, Paddy Doyle, that's all I've seen in the media for the past week. From the last email I received, Rizzoli and company have put my Apprentices on the back burner, and that's unacceptable. I want Rizzoli to live in constant fear. I want them to make her fucking life miserable.

But there's a new serious complication. They might be on to Carrie, which puts me at risk. So, we need to be very cautious and protect Carrie at all costs. This why I insisted Carrie find an accomplice. An idiot that takes orders well and is easily manipulated. We got a bonus with her present idiot because he's also been trained in explosives and weapons. And if all else fails, we'll hang him out to dry.

We need to take care of the man at the last charity I sent my Apprentices' to hunt for new victims. I replied to the previous email and ordered them to kill him, and I'm not sure if they carried out my orders. There's nothing in the fucking media saying there's been a new Apprentice murder. Carrie needs to tell me what the hell is going on. This man must die at all cost.

Another option we have is to have a small explosive device go off close to their home. Nothing that will maim or kill anyone but enough to scare the living shit out of Rizzoli. I want her and her precious Dr. Isles to be terrified even to step a foot outside their home. I want Rizzoli to be tortured in every conceivable way.

Now all I have to do is smuggle a letter out of this place. Email can be tracked and read by the prison, and it won't be hard to smuggle a letter out. Every man has a price or, to be more precise, every woman has a price. My Apprentices should receive it within 48 hours. And soon after, I should have an update.

I'm in desperate need of new newspaper clippings.

43 Briar Way – South Boston – Friday at 10:15 a.m.

I left the patrol car four blocks away from this address. I didn't want to spook Paddy's spies in any way. I need to find out who are Hoyt's Apprentices. I just hope Maura forgives me. I know I did it again. I jumped before I looked, but I didn't have much choice. I'd die if it meant saving Maura, and no matter what happens, that will never change.

I hold my breath as I walk in. The house is very nice. Beautiful hardwood floors, fresh paint, lovely fireplace. I honestly thought Paddy would lure me to an abandoned warehouse or something along those lines.

Her voice is what brings me back into the present. I turn around and ask, "What are you doing here?"

Dr. Hope Martin smiles and says, "I'm here to save Maura from you."

"Where the fuck is Paddy?" I quickly ask. I don't have time for this.

"Close by," Hope grins.

"Why am I here, Hope?" I ask. God, I think I've just made the worse mistake of my life. Now, all I can think of is Maura. What have I done?

"You're the lure that will bring Maura to us," Hope explains.

Shit, I fell into their trap. I run to the front door, but I'm too late. Three men are blocking my exit. I turn back to Hope and say, "What do you want?"

"We want Maura to stay with us and to sever all ties to you. Maura belongs with us. Paddy can protect her from any danger, and she can go back to work at the M.E.N.D. Clinic. That's where she belongs, Jane," Hope explains.

I laugh and answer, "You're out of your mind if you think Maura is going to go with you willingly. You helped Paddy break out of prison, didn't you?"

"I only arranged the jet. Maura will come with us if we promise her that we won't kill you," Hope counters.

"Now, I see what Paddy saw in you?" I answer in disgust.

"Killing you will guarantee Maura's safety. Besides, my daughter deserves better than you. In time she'll thank us," Hope answers confidently.

"Maura will never go with you, and if you kill me, she'll never forgive you," I angrily reply.

Hope smirks, "We'll see. But, no, you won't, will you?"

Fucking bitch, I can't believe I help convince Maura to let her back into her life.

She then turns to the men and orders one of them, "Liam, get her into the S.U.V., and let's get out of here."

I turn around, and three men are coming towards me. I prepare myself for a fight.

Unfortunately, someone hits me from behind, and then darkness.

43 Briar Way – South Boston – Friday at 10:40 a.m.

We breach the house and find nothing. Absolutely nothing. I don't know what I'm going to tell the Isles'.

Maura Isles's Office – Friday at 11 a.m.

When Aldrich walks in, and Maura is quickly on him. She quickly asks, "Did you find her? Where's Jane? Where is she, Mr. Grant?"

"The house was empty," Aldrich quietly answers.

Aldrich's answer only upsets my daughter much more. She's openly sobbing now. It's my turn. I round on Aldrich and yell, "How could you let this happen, Aldrich?! We told you that this was always a possibility!"

He looks me in the eye and answers, "We failed, and I'm so sorry."

"Sorry, sorry, is that supposed to make this better?" I continue to yell. I'm way past furious.

"Of course not. The only thing to make this better is to find the detective alive," Aldrich softly answers. At least, he's realistic.

"I should fire you," I answer in disgust. I thought I was hiring the very best security team. I can't believe this is happening.

"That's your prerogative, but that doesn't mean this is over for my team or me. We'll work for free and won't stop till we find the detective, Constance," Aldrich looks me in the eye as he solemnly promises.

"If you don't find her alive, everything we've done will be for nothing, Aldrich," I say. God, I hired these people for this not to happen, and it is still happening.

"I know that."

I look at a weeping Maura and then to Aldrich. Finally, I ask Maura, "Darling do you want me to fire them?"

All Maura does is shake her head no. I look back at Aldrich and say, "You're lucky she's sweet and kind. But I'm not. You have 48 hours to get her back, or else you're fired."

Aldrich nods and silently walks out, and we're left alone. I continue to try to console Maura and pray that we find Jane in time.

34 Orchard St. – Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

"When are you going to bring her here?" Dr. Hope Martin asks.

"Soon, stupid cops raided the address we gave Rizzoli. My people say that there's no sign of police anywhere near us," Paddy Doyle gloats.

"Text her then. Let's get this over with," Hope orders.

"Are you sure you want to flee overseas? I can protect you better here," Paddy continues to argue. He wants to keep us in Boston, but I think that will put us at more risk. B.P.D. and Constance Isles will be aggressively hunting us.

"If we stay here, Constance Isles will find us in a heartbeat. As it is, we're going to have to be careful because I do not doubt that she won't stop till she finds Maura," Hope explains.

"If we kill Rizzoli, our relationship with Maura will be irrevocably broken," Paddy points out.

"I don't see any other option. If Jane is still alive, she'll still have a hold on Maura. The only way to sever their relationship permanently is to kill Jane Rizzoli. There's no other option. We can always hide the fact that Jane is dead from Maura if we're overseas. It won't make the news there, and if she doesn't have internet access, she'll never know that Jane's dead," Hope explains.

"I hope you're right," Paddy answers hopefully. Paddy Doyle is willing to do absolutely anything to protect his daughter.

"I am, now text her," Hope orders confidently.

Paddy nods and does as Hope ordered.

Before either say another word, there's a shot fired.

Maura Isles's Home – Saturday at 8:36 a.m.

Jane has been gone for over twenty-two hours. Twenty-two hours without any news. I still can't believe it. Jane Rizzoli broke her word to me. All she left me is a letter and her badge. A letter that I've clutched in my hand and I've reread a hundred times since I got it. My other hand is grasping her badge. Somehow holding both makes me feel close to her. The first time I read her letter, it infuriated me. I don't think I've ever been so angry in my life.

How dare she put her life in mortal danger? Why didn't she tell anyone what was going on? Doesn't she know what she means to me? Doesn't she know that I need her to be happy and content?

She left me a letter. And I've read it thousand times. I wouldn't even let them put it in evidence. It's my last connection to Jane; I've memorized every word.

Baby,

I'm sorry that I've broken my word to you. It was the last thing I ever wanted to do, but I couldn't allow this opportunity to pass me. Paddy says he knows who are Hoyt's Apprentices. I have to stop them at any cost. They're getting too close to you, baby.

I'm terrified that at any moment, they're going to take you from me again. That Hoyt's fucking Apprentices are going to find you and beat you, rape you, and kill you for the sole reason to torture and devastate me forever. And I would be ruined, baby. If that happened, I'd welcome death.

I hope that maybe, just maybe, Paddy is willing to help me catch them by identifying them.

I love you.

I'll see you soon.

Yours,

Jane.

He told her that he knew who Hoyt Apprentices were, and that was the perfect lure. Jane would go to hell and back if it meant uncovering Hoyt Apprentices' identities. But this doesn't mean I'm any less angry at her. She's put herself in mortal danger. Paddy Doyle is also a sociopath. I know he'll kill her without a second thought.

Our shadows forced me to come home. They said they could protect me better here with fewer people. Ms. Harvey and Dr. Lewis are my only bodyguards. And I don't consider Dr. Lewis, a bodyguard. I consider her a colleague that knows how to shoot. And a patient teacher. She took me to the B.P.D. Firing Range and gave me a lesson. But right now, I'm crawling out of my skin, and I don't want to sit here and wait. I want to go looking for her. I don't know what I'll do if he kills her.

I take it back. I do know. I'll hunt Paddy Doyle down and make him pay for what he's done. And I'll hit him where it hurts most.

Hearing my phone ring brings me renewed hope. I look at the text and know what I have to do. It reads:

"If you want to save her, you'll meet me at 34 Orchard St. Come alone. You have one hour, and if I hear any cops come near this address, she's dead."

-P

I grip my phone so hard that my knuckles turn white. I never thought I could hate someone as much as I hate Paddy Doyle. There's no point in telling anyone what just happened. I'm positive that they will never let me see Paddy on my own. And giving them the address is like killing Jane. I have to try to save her.

Paddy Doyle will kill her if he hears one siren of that, I'm positive.

I look at my watch and nervously bite my lip. I need to get out of here. But first, I have to incapacitate my shadows. I'm pretty sure they will have grounds to levy assault charges on me, or worse, but I don't care. I must save Jane. I hope that they understand when they wake up.

I'm going to pull another rabbit out of my medicine bag. To be more accurate, two more shots of Ativan. I'm praying Mother's news conference with the Chief of Police announcing the reward for information leading to Jane's recovery lasts long enough for me to leave. Ativan injections worked with Cavanaugh all those years ago. A part of me now wishes that the lieutenant had killed my father. He deserved to die for what he had done to Cavanaugh's family. Paddy killed two innocents, Cavanaugh's young wife and his baby son.

I don't see why I can't use the same trick again.

I grab my medicine bag and go to our bedroom. First, I need to make sure I use the perfect dose. I have a good idea of how much each woman weighs, and the last thing I need is for them to be unconscious for hours. I need them to wake quickly so that they can come to our rescue. And after that, I'm willing to face the consequences of my actions.

Hope you enjoyed it! See you Sunday!