Title: Touchstone
Chapter: 4
Author: Evidence
Rating; PG-13
Author's Notes: Thanks to D and Maple Street. Long time, no write- I'm sorry about that I had no internet and lost the will to write. *G*
The room was dark and reeked of something rotten- eggs or fish maybe. The floor she was laying on was cold and dirty. Her arms killed from being tied tightly to each other around her back and her legs were resisting their tight hold. A large strip of duck tape covered her mouth and made her breathing more difficult. When she was five she had surgery on one of her sinuses where a tumor had laid. She has been fortune that the cancer had not spread. Now it seemed her luck had run out. Since the surgery she didn't breathe as well through her nose and relied on both mouth and nose to put the necessary amount of air in her lungs.
Shauna took a deep breath through her nostrils the best she could. She had to stay alive, she couldn't die, she couldn't let her baby die. Tears filled her eyes but she told herself to calm down. Tears would only add to her difficultly breathing and they wouldn't solve the problem she was in. She felt in some ways like the mother in the Faulkner story- dead and in a box, as everyone else was living life around her.
They had spent an hour trying desperately to find her. Searching through crowds, yelling her name, having the New York City police span out looking for her. But they knew she hadn't been misplaced like some stuff animal a kid leaves on a train. Shauna McClaine was missing, another case to save.
Thomas wiped at his face, he could never remember crying before, not like this. Even Samantha's reassuring words, that she only had just disappeared, did nothing to ease his mind. All he could think of was that he would not see her again.
"Okay, Vivian and Martin have everything set up at the office, we have all agencies on the lookout for her," Danny spoke quickly approaching Thomas and Samantha.
"Great," Samantha tried a small smile in Thomas's direction.
"Wait a minute, I thought a person had to be missing 24 hours before the FBI was called in?" Thomas asked scanning their faces.
"Not when an abduction happens right after a terrorist threat. Plus we knew someone grabbed her, that she didn't walk away." Sam sighed. "Look I'm going with Danny and canvas the surrounding area. Stay here."
"No, I want to help."
"Tommy leave it up to us."
"No! I love her, I can't do that." He wiped his face with the back of his palm. "If the aliens took her I may be able to help."
Samantha swallowed and tried to find the best words to get her point across. "Tommy, this wasn't aliens this was someone that I believe was connected to the explosion today. I don't think this was random."
"Well alien attacks are never random. They hunt their prey for months, checking where they work, who they are with...they probably have been to the bakery!"
"Tommy..."
"Please, please let me do something." His eyes pleaded with her.
She closed her eyes and thought. "Okay, head back to headquarters and have Vivian and Martin give you some maps. Maybe you can find somewhere nearby that...aliens or whoever would want to take her."
"Thank you," Thomas said hugging her quickly. He hurried off to his small blue Geo prism waiting in the parking lot for him. He would find her, he knew he could.
Jack's cell vibrated against his waist. He moved away from a sleeping Hanna and answered it.
"Hello, Malone."
"Jack, it's Vivian. We have a problem."
Jack rubbed at his temple. He didn't need a problem right now. He needed peace. Peace and Samantha Spade. "What is it?"
"Thomas Spade's girlfriend has been kidnapped, we believe. She disappeared after the incident at the courthouse."
"What incident?"
"Oh...you haven't heard. Jeffrey Gibbs, Susan Shepard's old fiancée blew himself up in the courthouse."
"What? Sam! Is Sam okay?" His heart began to race.
"Yes, she's fine." Viv answered. "Shauna was about to have lunch with Sam and Thomas when it happened."
"Thank God." Jack paused. "Jeffrey Gibbs...he was unstable but why would he do that?"
"Beats us. I guess from what Samantha was saying he was talking about pleasing someone, making some guy happy."
"Some guy?" Jack's mind began churning.
Vivian knew. "Jack what are you thinking?"
"I'll be in the office as soon as I can. First I need to check something out." He hung up, kissed Hanna on the forehead and headed out.
At the main office desk he flashed his badge. "I need to see the list of visitors for Franklin Podena."
The receptionist quickly went to work finding the folder that contained the information the Federal Agent wanted. She handed him the sheet that contained a few names- names of people who had visited Franklin Podena.
Jack grabbed the list quickly and scanned until he saw Jeffrey Gibbs appear before his eyes. His shoulders slumped slightly. Then his eyes caught sight of another name. "What the hell! This can't be."
To be continued…
