Author note: Sorry for the delay, I've been busy. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, let me know what you think by reviewing :)
Buzz seemed to be waiting for them when they returned to the house.
"Your ex-wife rang...she said she'll be here in an hour"
Henry visibly sighed, "great" he said despondently.
Then the phone began to ring again,
"Henry" he answered tiredly.
"Henry, it's Karen"
"What's happening?"
"Early analysis from the photograph shows that the background of the picture is fake but the two figures were definitely stood next to each other. Henry...Shawn and Yang really were photographed together"
Henry felt his heart sink, he knew it.
"I'm searching through the photo albums I have here, if I find something I'll let you know"
"I've called a sketch artist for Allison to speak to, the sooner we can figure out Yin's identity the better. Have Officer McNabb escort her to the station by noon. She'll be staying at the station until further notice"
"Yes Chief" he muttered before hanging up.
The faces around him simply waited for him to speak and Allison seemed fearful.
"That was the Chief, she's organised a sketch artist to meet you at the station... do you think you can describe the man who kidnapped you?" He asked sensitively.
Allison timidly nodded, "yes, I can do that... now?"
Henry shook his head, "Officer McNabb will escort you at noon"
Allison nodded, "ok"
Allison retreated from the conversation and seated herself on Henry's sofa, pushing a random button on the remote causing the television to burst into life. She relaxed slightly, he mind numbing from the boring television.
"The background of the photograph is fake but the rest is real" Henry stated seriously. "I've got more albums in my wardrobe"
"I'll help you go through them" Gus agreed.
The next hour passed quickly. Hundreds of photographs were spread out on the floor with seemingly no sense of order. Buzz was sat on the sofa, gently reassuring Allison and providing her with a glass of water and helping her pack up her things ready. He didn't want to take his eyes off her now he knew for definite that her story was true. Gus and Henry were sat on the floor surrounded my photographs when the doorbell rang.
Buzz tensed immediately before glancing at his watch and realising who it was. Henry answered the door to a very unhappy looking Madeline who walked in impatiently. Her eyes softened slightly when she saw the young girl on the sofa with the detective but her furious gaze remained on Henry.
"Seriously I don't know what you were thinking?" She huffed, folding her arms and dumping her suitcase by her feet.
"Perhaps we should leave you guys to it" Buzz suggested, gesturing for Allison to grab her bag.
Henry looked over surprised, "You sure?"
Buzz resisted the impulse to laugh, "I'm sure. We need to be at the station in an hour anyway"
Henry nodded and Madeline moved her suitcase slightly to let the two people past.
Henry walked them out to the police car and gave it a quick inspection just in case before waving them off, then he turned back towards what he knew to be an impending explosion.
"I'm not happy with you" she spoke calmly.
Gus felt awkward thinking perhaps he should leave but instead kept his focus on the mountains of photographs in front of him.
"I deserved a phone call...not an email"
Henry nodded slowly, " the picture is real Maddie"
Madeline frowned, "Real?"
"Our Shawn really was stood next to Yang for a photograph"
"Impossible" she muttered, "this is your fault"
Henry simply raised his eyebrows, "well I don't remember taking it!"
Madeline huffed.
"The background is fake though... we're trying to find the original" Henry explained.
They weren't having much luck though, between the three of them Henry believed they had actually gone through every photo already. It was hard to tell with the messed up system to know which had been examined and which hadn't but they were double checking in case they missed anything the first time round.
"I suppose I'll help since I'm here" she muttered.
Henry sat back on the floor, examining the photos and moving them into a pile once he had dismissed them. He watched as Madeline made a show of having to sit on the floor and bit his tongue silently, how he had once loved that woman he didn't know.
Gus made them all a coffee and made Madeline two after he didn't make it properly the first time around. He knew better not to argue.
"I don't get why you have so many of the other kid mixed in here" Madeline spat with distaste, tossing one of the pictures aside.
Gus looked up angrily, as did Henry.
"Excuse me?" Henry asked, hoping he had misheard.
"Half of these aren't even of Shawn!" She exclaimed annoyed, "I can recognise my own son you know"
"So can I" Henry agreed, "Agent Matthews was my son too"
Madeline almost growled with anger.
"No, he was a parasite" she spat, "a worm that thought he could just slip in and replace our son, live his life!"
Neither gentlemen could believe the words coming out of her mouth,
"I'm glad he's dead" she continued calmly, "at least I can mourn my son"
"Take that back" Gus strained, his voice seething with anger.
"No, I meant what I said. That worm was a LIAR AND HE ALMOST GOT ME KILLED" she finished hysterically.
"SHAWN WAS THE ONE THAT SAVED YOU. HE RISKED HIS LIFE FOR A WOMAN HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW" Gus yelled back, no one could speak about Shawn like that.
Henry was frozen in shock, he was well used to Madeline shouting verbal attacks but he had never seen her receive one.
"I wouldn't have been in danger if it hadn't had been for him" she seethed, her eyes penetrating Gus.
Gus took a deep breath, "The man I knew as Shawn Spencer was a good man. He sacrificed himself to save a friend and he helped the police solve many crimes. He was not a cold hearted worm like you seem to suggest. He loved Henry like a father and Henry loved him like a son... Shawn was not a replacement...no one could replace the son you guys had. The Shawn I knew was a gift"
"Shawn was only 15 when he came to live with me" Henry stated quietly, "he was just a kid that needed help"
Madeline pursed her lips, "A good man wouldn't live out another's life" she began.
"A GOOD MAN WOULDN'T HAVE TO LIE ABOUT WHO HE WAS. I DON'T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT MATTHEWS AND I'M GLAD HE'S NO LONGER A PART OF OUR LIVES" She raged.
Henry stood up and put his hand on Gus' shoulder before he could react. He could tell that Gus wanted to attack her and honestly he felt like that too.
"We're leaving" Henry announced, making his way towards the door. Gus momentarily in front of him wanting to escape the toxic situation.
"But I've only just here" Madeline complained.
"Honestly... I don't know why you came. It's not like you have ever had Shawn's best interest at heart"
Henry then slammed the door shut, leaving Madeline on the other side to question which Shawn he was on about.
Henry didn't hesitate as he grabbed the keys from his pocket and unlocked the truck.
"What's the plan?" Gus asked.
"Now we head to the station" Henry informed him glancing at his watch. It was 11:45.
"Hopefully they have made some progress with the sketch"
It was a ten minute drive to the station and it passed with sporadic conversation.
"I don't like her" Gus stated quietly at one point.
"Me neither" Henry had agreed, that was that.
Arriving at the front of the station Gus stopped by the smoothie stand for a liquid lunch and insisted Henry have one too. It was a bittersweet decision as this was the stand that Shawn had bought so many pineapple smoothies from in the past. Henry chose a berry smoothie, remembering the one time he had caught his son enjoying one. Henry had made a teasing remark about it not being pineapple and Shawn had simply raised his finger to his lips, laughed and thrown a cushion at him. Gus ordered a pineapple smoothie, they shared a look.
They walked into the station and Gus almost froze. It was the first time in months that he had stepped foot inside the station. He had seen Juliet and Lassiter on a fairly regular basis since the incident but never at the station.
Gus steadied himself and took a breath before moving forwards with equal strides. Henry stopped suddenly in front of him and he followed the elder mans gaze. It was the case board, set up in one of the larger conference room. It was only visable through the open door which Juliet seemed to be holding as she yelled something through.
"Gus? Henry?" She greeted confused, "what are you guys doing here?"
"We wanted to know if there was any progress with the sketch artist"
Juliet hummed, "He's just arrived. Buzz and Allison should be here any minute to get started"
Henry froze. "But they left about an hour ago"
"What?" She stuttered before grabbing her phone and holding it to her ear. Voicemail.
Lassiter rounded the corner to hear Henry"s admission and immediately jumped into action.
"Oh god..." Gus gasped, this couldn't be happening again. Not now...it was supposed to be over.
He glanced over at Lassiter who was already putting an announcement on the radio to alert the other patrol cars to be on the look out. Juliet was hastily trying Buzz's phone once more. Lassiter hung up the radio and gave his partner a look, instantly communicating to stand by and she went over by the radio. Lassiter almost ran into the Chief's office to inform her of what was going on. The other officers had realised what happened and were standing by ready for orders.
Upon Lassiter's return, he looked angry but calm.
"You" he instructed, "Get onto IT and see if we can track his phone. Check for any camera's from here to the Spencer residence"
"Sir" the officer responded before running off.
"They must have been watching the house" Henry admitted to himself, "and I didn't even notice"
Gus grabbed his shoulder and forced his attention, "This was not your fault"
"SIR!" A young woman shouted from her desk at the station, "WE'VE JUST HAD A CALL, IT'S McNABB"
"Where?" Lassiter growled.
The young woman told him the address and Lassiter and Juliet marched to the car, Lassiter starting the car and driving away in two seconds flat. The younger female officer followed them outside with her partner and they followed Lassiter's speeding car. Henry was thankful they had back up. It all happened so fast.
"I hope they are ok" Gus muttered.
Before Henry could agree, he saw the Chief standing at the entrance to the car park commanding his attention with her gaze.
Henry and Gus followed her inside to her office and she closed the door with a sigh.
"Tea?" She inquired.
Henry clenched his fists and raised his eyebrows.
She sighed once more, sitting into her chair.
"You did everything you could" she insisted, making sure to look at both of them.
"I assume Henry had brought you up to date Mr Guster" she politely enquired.
Gus simply nodded.
"So tell me what happened? Why did they set off so early?"
"Maddie found out about the photo and flew in this morning" Henry grumbled quietly, "He had the sense to leave before we started arguing"
Karen looked shocked, "How did she find out?"
"I sent her an email" Henry stated.
Gus glanced sideways at him but remained silent.
"Look Karen, I don't remember taking that photo and I had hoped she had...but we've been through every darn photo and nada" he snapped.
She leaned back on her chair, her face visibly disappointed. Then her phone rang.
"Vick" she snapped.
She listened intently for several moments before uttering a brief thanks and hung up.
Both gentlemen could tell she had just received important news.
"That was Detective Lassiter. An ambulance is currently taking Officer McNabb to the hospital and it seems that Miss Cowley has been kidnapped by Yin"
"Is Buzz ok?" Gus blurted panicked.
The Chief nodded slowly, "It looks as though he was drugged but is expected to make a full recovery"
Neither man spoke but the relief was evident in their eyes.
"And the girl?" Gus asked, briefly forgetting her name.
"We don't know. We have every officer we can looking. Detective Lassiter and O'Hara are headed to the hospital to see if we can get McNabb's statement. Hopefully he can tell us something... Did you have any luck with the photos?"
"No" Henry shook his head in angst and then growled in frustration. "So we've got no leads?"
The Chief slowly shook her head, "we'll do everything we can but right now it's a waiting game"
"There must be something we can do" Henry asked, wanting to help in any way he could. It was his fault. He was meant to protect her and he had let her down... let Buzz down.
The Chief pursed her lips in thought but drew a blank.
"There is" Gus realised. All eyes were on him. "There is one other person who would know about that photo"
Henry's eyes widened as he realised where his train of thought was going.
"Yang" he breathed.
"You're right...it's worth a shot"
The Chief remained silent for several moments.
"Head over to the hospital, I want you two there when Buzz wakes up"
"Karen" Henry snapped angrily.
The Chief matched his gaze, "As much as you two want to help you are civilians. I will arrange for my Detectives to speak to Yang while you stay with Buzz. And you call me...the MOMENT he wakes up"
Gus stood up nodding, "Fine, let's go"
Henry knew he was fighting a loosing battle, he was pushing it as it was. "I need to know...that my son Karen"
"I will keep you informed, I swear"
Henry nodded, he could accept that. He wanted answers, what was his son doing stood next to a serial killer?
With that promise, Henry and Gus made there way over to the hospital. It took a brief question to ascertain his room and wasn't surprised to find Lassiter stood outside it, his gun visible. It didn't take a detective to figure out that Juliet was inside the room with Buzz.
Lassiter gave a brief nod of assurance as he saw them walk towards him.
"He'll be ok" Lassiter informed them. He was a little out of his depth, he didn't like hospitals much or the feeling of being useless.
"Has he woken?" Gus asked.
Lassiter shook his head, his frustration clearly visible. "The doctor said he will wake when he's ready" he grumbled.
"We've just been with the Chief" Henry explained, "She's organising for you two to visit Yang"
Lassiter stood up straighter, "The photo"
Henry nodded, "I want to know why detective"
Lassiter nodded, glancing at Buzz's unconscious form through the window.
"We'll stay with him" Gus smiled slightly, "and let you know the moment he wakes up" he promised.
"Right" Lassiter agreed, he hesitated opening the door and called Juliet over to him. Gus and Henry replaced her, Gus sitting on the chair next to the bed where Buzz lay.
"It's time to see what Yang has to say" Lassiter told Juliet gravely.
Juliet's expression hardened and she looked towards Buzz, an obvious reluctance to leave him showed but she was reassured by the two gentlemen now by his side.
"Let's go"
Author note: Hope you guys enjoy it. please review