Author's note: Missed me? :) Well, here's another chapter for you guys.
Thanks for your nice reviews, and please keep them coming!
***
Chapter eight - The Hunt
***
Faith left the room and walked to the admit desk. The Lieutenant hadn't said if it was a personal or a work-related call, but she'd immediately thought about Bosco. Maybe he wanted to come back.
"John, I got a call?" she asked the desk Sergeant.
"Yeah." He replied, pointing to the nearest phone. "Line two."
"You know what this is about?"
"Nope, sorry."
"Okay."
Her hand hesitated before lifting up the receiver. Please God, let it be Bosco. "Hello?"
"Officer Yokas?"
It wasn't Bosco. Faith closed her eyes and sighed in frustration, leaning her elbows on the desk. Were they ever going to find him? "Yeah, that's me."
"Hi, this is James McTiernan from the Port Authority Bus Terminal."
"Oh, hi Mr. McTiernan, how can I help you?"
They'd spent two days interviewing employees from every bus and train station in Manhattan but ended up with no leads, so either Bosco was still hiding somewhere in the city, or they were missing something.
"You remember that picture you showed me the other day? That suspect?"
Faith's heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.
"Amanda, one of my employees, well... she's been on sick leave for a couple of days and just came back. She says she remembers the guy. You still looking for him?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we're still looking for him."
Faith felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She tried to reason that that didn't prove anything yet, that even if they got a place that didn't mean they were going to find him, but right now it was the only lead they had.
"Listen, I need to talk to her, okay? I... I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling, Mr. McTiernan."
She hung up the phone as her lips parted into a smile and walked back to the Lieutenant's office. She knocked on the door and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the man was alone inside. "Sir?"
"Faith. Sit down."
"Sir, I got a lead." She triumphantly said, taking a seat across from his desk.
"What?"
"The guy on the phone, he works at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. He said one of his employees thinks she remembers Bosco. I have to go there, Lieu."
The man nodded his head. "Fine. Take Sullivan with you, Davis just requested a day off."
"Okay. Thanks, Lieu."
"Faith," he spoke again. "Try not to get your hopes up on this. We don't know anything for sure."
She dropped her gaze to the floor
"I know. But it's something, and slim hope is better than no hope at all."
"Keep me posted."
"I will."
***
"God Sully, can't you drive a little faster?" Faith complained from the passenger seat as her friend drove 55-Charlie through the city traffic.
"We're stuck, Faith. I can't drive any faster." He replied, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
He could tell she was getting restless. She had her right arm draped out the window, absently thumping her fingertips against the door of the car, and she kept looking at her watch.
"Just calm down, will ya? You're making me nervous."
"I can't Sully," she admitted. "This is Bosco we're talking about. He's one of our own. We've spent the last week examining every lead, every single piece of evidence, and we finally caught a break. That girl could give us some answers."
"Yeah, this is Bosco we're talking about." Sully muttered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "The loud-mouthed cop with a 'playing-God' complex."
Faith shot a glare in his direction.
"Bosco wouldn't just disappear without a reason. He probably doesn't even realize we're looking for him."
"He wouldn't, huh?" He questioned, waiting for her reaction. "Remember the Golden case a year ago? Boscorelli was a murder suspect and what did he do? He called in sick and disappeared for a whole day."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She angrily replied. "He didn't kill that Johnson guy, and he didn't kill Diaz either!"
"How could you possibly know it?"
Faith bit her bottom lip. "I can feel it."
"Look, I'm not trying to imply anything here," he apologized. "But you two had your own problems long before all this happened. Maybe he's changed."
"He may have changed but he's not a murderer." Faith said confidently.
"Let's go find out." Sully whispered as he parked the RMP across from the bus station and got out.
***
"So he was here?"
Amanda was an 18 year-old attractive young girl. Short, dark-haired, self- assured, she worked part-time at the Coach bus lines to pay for her pre-med school. She'd lost five days of work due to a nasty stomach flu, and that's why they hadn't talked to her when they'd first questioned the employees.
Apparently, she'd come back to work and immediately recognized the man in the picture that Mr. McTiernan had hung on the clipboard at the office.
"Last week. I think it was Tuesday, 'cause that's when I started to feel sick."
Faith nodded her head. "Do you remember what time it was?"
The girl paused for a moment. "Around eight. He was in a hurry and asked for the first bus available, so I sold him a ticket to the 8:25 bus to Providence."
"Providence, Rhode Island?" Faith repeated, a shocked expression on her face. God Bosco, where did you go? She turned to look at Sully, who wore an equally bewildered look.
"Yeah, what else?" Amanda shot them an annoyed glare as she smoothed her curly hair. "I told you, he wasn't interested in the destination, he just asked for the first bus available."
"Did he look upset or in pain?" Faith asked again, unable to stop herself.
"Well, he had this bandage on his forehead and he kept rubbing his temples so yeah, I guess he was in pain."
Faith flinched at the thought that Bosco might be hurt, and urged the girl to go on.
"Is he a criminal or something?" Amanda inquired.
Sully opened his mouth to speak but hesitated before answering. "No miss. He's not a criminal." He said, his voice faltering slightly. His hesitation didn't go unnoticed, prompting another glare from his partner.
"Good," she smiled. " 'Cause, you know... I would've asked him out if he wasn't in such a hurry."
Sully rolled his eyes. What's with Boscorelli and women?
"So that's it?" Faith pressed.
Amanda threw her hands in the air in an apologetic gesture. "Yeah. I'm sorry, but I don't think I remember anything else."
"It's okay, Amanda. You've been of great help."
"No problem." The girl shrugged, a proud expression on her face.
"Now what?" Sully asked as they walked back to the RMP.
"I think it's time to pay a little visit to that building on Montgomery Street."
"Why Faith? CSU's already searched the place, what can we possibly find that they don't know already?"
For the first time since Bosco had disappeared, she had the feeling they were onto something good.
"Let's try anyway. Look, I'm just playing a hunch here."
"Then I hope you're right."
***
Chapter eight - The Hunt
***
Faith left the room and walked to the admit desk. The Lieutenant hadn't said if it was a personal or a work-related call, but she'd immediately thought about Bosco. Maybe he wanted to come back.
"John, I got a call?" she asked the desk Sergeant.
"Yeah." He replied, pointing to the nearest phone. "Line two."
"You know what this is about?"
"Nope, sorry."
"Okay."
Her hand hesitated before lifting up the receiver. Please God, let it be Bosco. "Hello?"
"Officer Yokas?"
It wasn't Bosco. Faith closed her eyes and sighed in frustration, leaning her elbows on the desk. Were they ever going to find him? "Yeah, that's me."
"Hi, this is James McTiernan from the Port Authority Bus Terminal."
"Oh, hi Mr. McTiernan, how can I help you?"
They'd spent two days interviewing employees from every bus and train station in Manhattan but ended up with no leads, so either Bosco was still hiding somewhere in the city, or they were missing something.
"You remember that picture you showed me the other day? That suspect?"
Faith's heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.
"Amanda, one of my employees, well... she's been on sick leave for a couple of days and just came back. She says she remembers the guy. You still looking for him?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we're still looking for him."
Faith felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She tried to reason that that didn't prove anything yet, that even if they got a place that didn't mean they were going to find him, but right now it was the only lead they had.
"Listen, I need to talk to her, okay? I... I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling, Mr. McTiernan."
She hung up the phone as her lips parted into a smile and walked back to the Lieutenant's office. She knocked on the door and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the man was alone inside. "Sir?"
"Faith. Sit down."
"Sir, I got a lead." She triumphantly said, taking a seat across from his desk.
"What?"
"The guy on the phone, he works at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. He said one of his employees thinks she remembers Bosco. I have to go there, Lieu."
The man nodded his head. "Fine. Take Sullivan with you, Davis just requested a day off."
"Okay. Thanks, Lieu."
"Faith," he spoke again. "Try not to get your hopes up on this. We don't know anything for sure."
She dropped her gaze to the floor
"I know. But it's something, and slim hope is better than no hope at all."
"Keep me posted."
"I will."
***
"God Sully, can't you drive a little faster?" Faith complained from the passenger seat as her friend drove 55-Charlie through the city traffic.
"We're stuck, Faith. I can't drive any faster." He replied, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
He could tell she was getting restless. She had her right arm draped out the window, absently thumping her fingertips against the door of the car, and she kept looking at her watch.
"Just calm down, will ya? You're making me nervous."
"I can't Sully," she admitted. "This is Bosco we're talking about. He's one of our own. We've spent the last week examining every lead, every single piece of evidence, and we finally caught a break. That girl could give us some answers."
"Yeah, this is Bosco we're talking about." Sully muttered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "The loud-mouthed cop with a 'playing-God' complex."
Faith shot a glare in his direction.
"Bosco wouldn't just disappear without a reason. He probably doesn't even realize we're looking for him."
"He wouldn't, huh?" He questioned, waiting for her reaction. "Remember the Golden case a year ago? Boscorelli was a murder suspect and what did he do? He called in sick and disappeared for a whole day."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She angrily replied. "He didn't kill that Johnson guy, and he didn't kill Diaz either!"
"How could you possibly know it?"
Faith bit her bottom lip. "I can feel it."
"Look, I'm not trying to imply anything here," he apologized. "But you two had your own problems long before all this happened. Maybe he's changed."
"He may have changed but he's not a murderer." Faith said confidently.
"Let's go find out." Sully whispered as he parked the RMP across from the bus station and got out.
***
"So he was here?"
Amanda was an 18 year-old attractive young girl. Short, dark-haired, self- assured, she worked part-time at the Coach bus lines to pay for her pre-med school. She'd lost five days of work due to a nasty stomach flu, and that's why they hadn't talked to her when they'd first questioned the employees.
Apparently, she'd come back to work and immediately recognized the man in the picture that Mr. McTiernan had hung on the clipboard at the office.
"Last week. I think it was Tuesday, 'cause that's when I started to feel sick."
Faith nodded her head. "Do you remember what time it was?"
The girl paused for a moment. "Around eight. He was in a hurry and asked for the first bus available, so I sold him a ticket to the 8:25 bus to Providence."
"Providence, Rhode Island?" Faith repeated, a shocked expression on her face. God Bosco, where did you go? She turned to look at Sully, who wore an equally bewildered look.
"Yeah, what else?" Amanda shot them an annoyed glare as she smoothed her curly hair. "I told you, he wasn't interested in the destination, he just asked for the first bus available."
"Did he look upset or in pain?" Faith asked again, unable to stop herself.
"Well, he had this bandage on his forehead and he kept rubbing his temples so yeah, I guess he was in pain."
Faith flinched at the thought that Bosco might be hurt, and urged the girl to go on.
"Is he a criminal or something?" Amanda inquired.
Sully opened his mouth to speak but hesitated before answering. "No miss. He's not a criminal." He said, his voice faltering slightly. His hesitation didn't go unnoticed, prompting another glare from his partner.
"Good," she smiled. " 'Cause, you know... I would've asked him out if he wasn't in such a hurry."
Sully rolled his eyes. What's with Boscorelli and women?
"So that's it?" Faith pressed.
Amanda threw her hands in the air in an apologetic gesture. "Yeah. I'm sorry, but I don't think I remember anything else."
"It's okay, Amanda. You've been of great help."
"No problem." The girl shrugged, a proud expression on her face.
"Now what?" Sully asked as they walked back to the RMP.
"I think it's time to pay a little visit to that building on Montgomery Street."
"Why Faith? CSU's already searched the place, what can we possibly find that they don't know already?"
For the first time since Bosco had disappeared, she had the feeling they were onto something good.
"Let's try anyway. Look, I'm just playing a hunch here."
"Then I hope you're right."