The Heart of a Man: 13

Jody walked tiredly into the precinct, her eyes searching unconsciously for Peter. His chair was still pushed in, and his desktop was exceptionally neat. She didn't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know that he had not been in. If Peter was simply running late, then this was a station record. He should have been in over two hours prior.

"Hiya, Sweetcakes." Kermit interrupted her musings.

"Kermit." She attempted a smile.

"Got a minute?" Kermit said, motioning her toward his office.

A feeling of dread washed over her. "What's going on? Is this about Peter?" she asked, glancing nervously toward his unoccupied desk. Kermit remained stonily silent, simply ushered her into the office and shut the door behind them.

"Anything unusual about your and Peter's current case?" Kermit asked.

"Define unusual," Jody challenged.

"Something that might involve the government."

Jody's brows went skyward. "Nothing that drastic. Why?"

Kermit shrugged, and Jody knew that she would get nothing more out of the man. But since she had his attention, "There is something you can help me with. That call Stenlich sent us out on. It led us to a very expensive, very hi-tech, silver luxury sedan in the old garage off Cardiff. The driver's side window was smashed in and the dash was a mess. But the interesting thing is what was in the trunk. A nice grizzly dead body, all spindled and mutilated. I need to know next of kin and also to find his connection to the owner of the car."

"Information is my business," Kermit said, poising his fingers over the keyboard. "Name?"

"The dead guy's ID says that he was Terrance Troung. And the vehicle is registered to Ms. Jenine Smith-Crawford, wife to the late Thomas Crawford Jr."

Kermit reached around his monitor and picked up a printout and handed it to Jody. "This Terrance Troung?"

Jody looked at the serious young man, dressed tastefully in business attire. "Yeah, minus the bullet hole in his forehead." She handed the printout back to Kermit. Then, "What's going on here, Kermit?" The fact that Kermit had a picture of the dead body from Jenine Crawford's car was beginning to raise red flags in Jody's mind. She could tell that there was a lot more going on here than she knew about or was being told, and she hated being left in the dark.

The phone rang before Kermit could respond.

"Griffin." Kermit quickly picked up the receiver. "Paul. . .. Yes. . . We're on our way."

"On our way where? What in the hell is going on?" Jody asked when Kermit hung up the phone and got to his feet.

"I'll tell you on the way."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Peter was putting the finishing touches on his impromptu auto repair when Paul approached, after having directed the uniformed officers to search the warehouse.

"What happened?" Paul asked, glancing around. "Where's your civilian?"

"They got her," Peter bit out through clenched teeth. "Disabled my car."

Stepping back, Peter allowed the hood to slam shut and gave Paul a quick rundown as to why the child had been kidnapped and what he knew of the fake vases.

"Do we need to call an ambulance for her?" Paul asked, looking at the little girl still cradled in Caine's arms.

"No," Caine spoke up from the opposite side of the vehicle. "We must take her home to her grandfather." Caine climbed into the passenger seat of the car.

"Pop?" Peter leaned into the window. "Can't one of the uniforms take you? I'm kind of in the middle of an investigation here."

"Peter," Paul interrupted. "Go with him."

"Paul--" Peter wanted to argue, but then sighed. "Fine."

"We'll send someone around to talk to her later. I'll expect to see you back at the precinct when you're done? Call in if anything changes."

"Pop, why me?" Peter asked, as he pulled the Stealth out of the warehouse parking lot. "Why couldn't you go with someone else?"

"We must take the child home. It is the next step."

"No, Pop. They've got Jenine. The next step is to get her back."

"We do not know where they have taken her."

"Well, can't you sense her or something? Like you did with Johanna?"

"No, Peter. I cannot. A child is . . . easier."

"What about through me?" Peter asked, hastily. "I was in love with her. Can't that. . . doesn't that leave. . . "

"Peter," Caine rested a calming hand on his shoulder. "I cannot do what it is that you are asking of me."

"But you can do anything." The words slipped out before Peter could stop them.

"I cannot."

Peter's mind worked frantically as he tried to come up with a plan. The ringing of his phone interrupted.

"You know what we want. We know what you want. Let's make a deal. Before she dies. Be in your car, alone, in three hours. Have the vases."

"Listen you bast--" The line clicked off before Peter could complete his insult. He stabbed the phone off. "That was the kidnappers."

"So I gathered."

"They want the vases or they are going to kill her."

"I gathered that as well."

"Pop, are you forgetting that we don't have any idea where the vases are?"

"I do."

"You do? You do what?"

"I do have some idea where the vases are."

"What?! Did she tell you?"

Caine shrugged. "I noted many things when we connected in my attempt to find her daughter."

A broad grin spread across Peter's face. "Pop, you're the best. Why didn't you say so before? Where are they?"

"As I said earlier," Caine replied with a smile. "We must take the child home. . . to her grandfather. I understand that he has a garden that was very precious to his wife? A very fitting location, is it not?"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Though the words lay unspoken, and the lips make no sound

In the heart that is open, there the love will be found

The heart of a man is bountiful. . .

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Nice setup."

Blaisdell turned as Kermit and Jody approached what had been the control center of the operation in the old warehouse.

"Too bad it's useless," Kermit concluded, tapping at the keyboard at one of the computers that sat on an old table. "Looks like they did a good job of wiping them clean. Probably a back-up program for just that purpose." Walking along the table, noting the dust lines and empty spaces. "They took the laptops with them. Nice, portable little operation."

"Seems a long way to go for a set of vases," Jody spoke up.

"A set of fake vases," Paul corrected. He chuckled at the expression on Jody's face, then caught her and Kermit up on the discoveries and developments that Peter had communicated to him concerning the case.

"Damn," Jody murmured under her breath. "Well that explains all the cloak and dagger. So why did Troung turn up dead in the trunk of Jenine Crawford's car?"

It was Paul's turn to look surprised.

"I think I can answer that," Kermit said. "I did a little more digging into those rumors. Troung was embezzling money from TCE. My guess is that's why Crawford had him reassigned to a less. . . tempting position. But rumor has it that he was stealing more than money, that he was starting to get involved with some heavy hitters with international connections. If he was supposed to deliver the real vases --which apparently contained something of great interest to his new friends-- and didn't, then he's useless to them. Bang. He's dead."

"Makes sense," Jody mused. "He must have told them that Jenine Crawford had the vases, that's why they snatched the kid."

"Or maybe he snatched the kid," Paul said. "That would fit with what Peter said about the ransom note looking like an inside job."

"Then after he snatches the kid, they don't need him any more." Jody added. "And if Jenine Crawford tells them where the vases are. . . "

"They don't need her anymore," Kermit finished.

"So, we need to find the vases before they do," Jody said. "Any ideas?"

Paul shook his head. "Not a clue."