Time passes in a blur. After Harvey's frantic call, Mike takes over. It took a little while to figure out what was going on, mainly because Harvey didn't really know either. Fact is that Donna is missing, and considering what happened in the past weeks, that's a reason for concern. So Mike gets Arthur involved, who starts up a big investigation, because the situation has reached a point where action is absolutely necessary. In no time, cops are on Harvey's doorstep, questioning him and their doorman and extracting data from the cameras that were put in place.
According to the doorman, Donna got in around eight, which matches the time Harvey said and his phone records show. After that, Donna didn't leave the apartment and earlier during nothing out of the ordinary happened, nobody who didn't live in the building tried to enter. That information could be reassuring, but it only makes the mystery bigger; how did Donna disappear?
At some point, Harvey finds himself hitching a ride to the station, joining Arthur in watching footage from the cameras. At first, the cop tries to keep him out of it, but Harvey stands his ground and Arthur realizes fighting him will only make the night worse than it already is. So they sit together in a back room, speeding through hours of grainy recordings of the hallway to their apartment. Harvey starts feeling like it's an exercise in futility when suddenly a man enters the frame. The time in the upper left corner shows the time around seven thirty, just after Donna told Harvey she was going home. He confidently walks towards the front door before producing a key and entering the apartment. Harvey stands abruptly, his chair dropping behind him. "That motherfucker," he pushes out through gritted teeth.
More footage shows Donna getting home, and about ten minutes later, the man walking out again, Donna's limp body hoisted up over his shoulder. With footage from different cameras, they follow him down the back stairwell and out of the emergency exit. It solves the mystery of how Donna disappeared, but it calls for about a million more questions, the most pressing being how the man on tape got a key to their apartment.
Hours pass by and the sun starts to rise, signaling the start of a sunny day that is a stark contrast to Harvey's mood. They have footage of the man into the parking lot, where he unceremoniously dumps Donna in the trunk of a car. For a while, they are able to follow him on traffic cameras, until he takes a turn onto a road without cameras. Harvey rubs his hand over his face. The love of his life was taken from their home, thrown in the trunk of a car and now they lost her. His hands ball into fists, his whole body itching to lash out. Break something, hit something – or someone. But he doesn't, because it wouldn't help find Donna, and that's the only thing that matters.
At the end of the morning, Harvey is still at the station. And they still have no clue as to where Donna is. He knows who is responsible for all of this, but he can't prove it. It's frustrating and he is starting to feel a little desperate, something he isn't used to. He is pacing back and forth in the office Arthur left him in, not able to contribute to anything, after all he's a lawyer, not a cop. Arthur is in and out, keeping him informed. But Harvey gets restless and around 7AM, he stops Arthur. "I'm dropping the case," he says, the thought having been spinning through his head all night, "that's what this is about. And Donna is more important than any case."
"No," Arthur simply states, "there's a few reasons why that might not be the best idea. But most importantly, let's wait for them to reach out. Be sure about what they want." Harvey balls his fists again, shaking his head. But before he can protest, Arthur continues, "Mike agrees with me. Him and Rachel are at the office right now, to work on this case. Because finishing that might also be a way to end this mess."
Harvey still doesn't agree, but he can see that arguing about it will take more time than letting the cop do his job. So he nods, his jaw set and his shoulders squared. And then he leaves the station and makes his way to the firm, where he finds Mike and Rachel amidst boxes of files and empty coffee cups. "Harvey," Rachel notices him first. She jumps up and before he knows it, he is wrapped in a tight hug. She doesn't say anything, and he's glad. Platitudes won't fix the situation and they both know it. He hugs her back, briefly. Maybe she needed more, Donna is her best friend after all, but he doesn't do the comfort thing. Not really. Not unless it's Donna who needs comfort. So he pulls away and gruffly asks about the progress they made.
After Mike and Rachel give Harvey a quick update, they all get back to work. A few more pieces fall into place, but it's not enough. The sun is starting to fade again, and Harvey knows they won't get this finished today. Or tomorrow, for that matter. They won't get this finished in time to keep Donna safe. Panic grips at his throat. So far, he has been able to keep his fears at bay by trying to focus. But the more time passes, the less faith he has in a good outcome. And that's a terrifying thought. "I'm… getting some air," he chokes out before pushing up and rushing outside.
Harvey takes deep breaths, trying to ground himself. He counts cabs driving past and leans his back against the wall, his fingers rubbing over the rough texture. It's working, just a little. His breathing is still too fast and his heart is beating out of his chest, but at least he can still think. However, the thing that really grounds him is a buzz from his phone, signaling a message. He pulls his phone out, opening the text from an unknown number. As soon as he sees the picture it contains, his phone drops to the ground, his breath hitching and his hands shaking.
Donna. On a chair in a dark room. Her arms bound behind her back, her ankles tied to the chair. Still in the light pink dress she was wearing yesterday. A dress that's now stained with dirt and spatters of blood. Harvey can't see her face, her head is dropped forward, her red locks obscuring his view. The text contains only two words; drop it.
Harvey calls Arthur as he staggers back in. Wordlessly, he drops his phone on the coffee table Mike and Rachel are sitting at. They look at the picture and start talking at the same time, but Harvey can't hear a thing. His whole body is aching. Donna is being held somewhere and she is clearly not okay and it's all his fault. Once upon a time, he promised her he wouldn't let anything happen to her, a promise that he has failed to keep. And nothing hurts as much as that knowledge.
Arthur is at the office not much later, looking at the text and typing a quick reply. Proof of life first. Harvey looks at him. He hadn't even thought about it, but the way Donna is sitting there, she might as well be dead. He tugs at his tie, that's somehow still around his neck after all those hours. Then he gulps down an entire bottle of water and paces back and forth about a million times, until his phone buzzes again. This time, it's a video. And they all crowd around the screen to watch.
At first, it looks like the same picture again. That frame of Donna, unconscious and bound in the dark basement. But then the camera moves, the person behind it moving closer to Donna. So close that Harvey is pretty sure he can see her chest rising and falling with her breaths. He lets out a soft sigh, at least she's alive. But the person who is filming doesn't seem sure that he has given enough evidence, because a hand appears in the frame and strikes Donna across the face. Her head snaps sideways, before she lifts it very slowly, a whimper escaping her lips. Her eyes flutter open, but before she can focus, the video ends.
"That's it," Harvey decides, "I'm dropping this." Donna being held captive, violence used against her. it makes his blood boil and his heart pound, but what drives this decision is the flicker of fear he saw behind the dazed look in her hazel eyes. He squares his shoulders, expecting pushback but receiving none. Mike sits silently, his hand on Rachels knee, who has tears falling down her cheeks. Arthur seems a little lost in thought, his eyes flicking through the room before gesturing to Harvey to follow him. "I think your offices are bugged," Arthur explains once they are outside, "that man entering the apartment just after Donna told you she was leaving. You receiving the picture after you excused yourself. The timing is odd, I'm sending in a team."
An hour and a half later, bugs have been found in Harvey and Donna's offices, and the team Arthur sent in is busy looking for more. The lawyers have followed Arthur back to the station for a private conversation. A conversation that Harvey starts by repeating his earlier statement, "I'm dropping this." He's said the words multiple times today, but this time he is ready to fight for it. It's crystal clear what Hawkins wants and Harvey just wants Donna back.
"No. You're not." Once again, it's Arthur who disagrees with Harvey. "And why the hell not? This is about my wife." His voice is low, anger seeping through. Arthur nods, "I know that, Harvey. But right now she's relatively safe," he sees Harvey opening his mouth and holds up his hand, "let me finish. She's the only leverage they have. They won't do anything to her because if they do, they won't have anything over you any longer." He explains calmly.
Harvey shakes his head, "I don't care." He growls, "I just need to get her back safely." "I agree," Rachel suddenly agrees, the first words she's spoken since they saw the video. Mike has been quiet too, but the look on his face now tells Harvey that he won't be much longer, and the he will say something that Harvey won't like, "you won't know if she'll be safe," he slowly tells him, meeting Arthurs eye. The cop nods, signaling that Mike is on the right track. "On that video," Mike continues, "that guy wasn't wearing gloves. He's not careful, so he might not wear a mask either. And if he hasn't, Donna has seen his face and they probably won't let her go when you drop the case."
Harvey sinks down, burying his face in his hands. Mike is right. He takes deep breaths, trying to steady himself. "What do we do now?" He softly asks. Arthur takes a breath, looking at the tired, defeated group in front of him. "Me and my guys will continue tracking down this guy, hopefully getting a few good leads. And you guys will continue working on this case, because if you manage to get enough evidence against Hawkins, we can arrest him and go through all his information, hopefully finding something there. But first," he pauses for a second, hesitation in his eyes, "we go home and we try to sleep a little. Because we won't get anything done like this."