Note: Writing about a case is much harder for me than writing about a relationship. I hope this story is still interesting. Enjoy.

Back at the FBI office, Jack spoke to Danny and Kathryn's marriage counselor on the phone.

"Dr. Wallace?" Jack asked after a voice said hello.

"Yes. This is Rachel Wallace. Who am I speaking with?" she asked.

"This is Special Agent Jack Malone. I work with Danny. Did you speak to him this morning?"

"Yes, I did. I'll answer any question you have to help find Kathryn," she said earnestly.

"Great. You spoke to the both of them the day before yesterday, correct?"

"Yes. They were my first appointment. Danny was very adamant that they get to see me as soon as possible, so I worked them in."

"How did they seem?"

"Well, there are a fair amount of tension between them. She seemed quite angry with him. He was very frustrated with her. It was clear they had lost their way with each other. I tried to talk them through their history. I find that if I can remind them of what first brought them together, then it helps them remember what they have together."

"Did it work?"

"Well it was the first session. I remember Danny was quite frustrated. He seemed to want a quick fix, but I told him it didn't work like that. They both agreed to come to another session."

"Did they seem happy when they left?" Jack asked skeptically.

"I wouldn't say happy, but they weren't angry with each other."

"Why did you call Kathryn at 10:30 yesterday?"

"Standard operating procedure. I always call to make sure the couple is OK after the first session. Often times, a lot of emotions are brought to the surface. I like to make sure that they are dealing with the emotions in a healthy way, especially when children are involved."

"And did Kathryn say they were handling it?"

"Yes. She said that they continued to talk after the session. They committed to following through with the therapy. She even said...um..."

"Said what?"

"Look maybe this is too personal. I don't want to invade Kathryn's privacy."

"Look Dr. Wallace...if I can get a clear understanding that they were OK...that she didn't have a reason to leave, then I can focus more on what really may have happened to her," Jack said urgently.

"She said that they slept together the night before. She said that they didn't make love, but they did hold each other like they used to. She said they hadn't been that intimate with each other since before the miscarriage. She felt very good about the direction of their relationship. She also said she wanted to re-engage in life and stop feeling sorry for herself. She said that she planned on talking to her father about some job. She hoped that having some outside stimulation would help her feel better about herself. Agent Malone, if you are asking me if this was a woman who was thinking about leaving her husband, I would say definitely not. She seemed quite committed to staying with Danny," the doctor said convincingly.

"Thank you, Dr. Wallace. You've been very helpful."

Jack hung up the phone, and then dialed the number of the Crime Scene Unit team. "This is Malone. I need a full-scale canvass of the areas surrounding Kathryn Taylor's apartment and her father's business, Kelly Web Publishing. These were the last places she was seen. I also want a CSU team over to her apartment. I'll call Danny and tell him you are on the way," Jack ordered and then hung up the phone.

Just as he hung up the phone, Martin entered his office. "Jack, Wyatt is pretty adamant that nothing happed after the encounter in the elevator. We are polygraphing him now. Also...uh...I just received some disturbing news from the Curry Meadow Mental Facilty in Rockbridge."

"What?" Jack asked as his heart sank. Curry Meadows was the facility that Tom Hanes was sent to after he attacked Kathryn.

"Yesterday, the facility lost track of Hanes for four hours -- from 10 in the morning until 2 p.m.," Martin said somberly.

"You've got to be kidding me. I thought it was a high security facility."

"It is. But apparently, he got out of his room. They found him wandering the grounds yesterday afternoon. They didn't call NYPD because they didn't think he ever left the grounds, but..."

"Is it possible that he could have gotten down here, done something to Kathryn and gotten back?"

"It's an hour up there and an hour back. It's possible, but he would've needed help."

"His brother?"

"Safely locked away in Attica."

"OK...head up there. See what you can find out. Things are looking worse and worse. Call me right after you talk to him."

"Got it," Martin said as he quickly left the office.

Jack sank in his chair and rubbed his eyes. If Hanes got to her then she was most likely dead. He slowly picked up the phone and dialed Danny's number.

After filling in Danny on the Hanes development, Jack met Samantha on the outside of the interview room. They were going to interview Richard Kendall, Kathryn's former fiance.

"Did you call Danny?" Samantha asked hesitantly. Martin told her about Hanes before he left.

"Yeah...I did. I don't know how much more of this he can take. Viv is trying to get him to focus on Michael, but...now he probably has images running through his head of what Hanes could have done to Kathryn."

"You had to tell him. He has to be prepared," Samantha said as she stroked Jack's arm.

Jack nodded appreciatively thankful for Samantha's affirmation. "How are we handling Kendall?"

"This is just covering our bases, really. He hasn't had contact with Kathryn in over five years."

"OK. Let's go," Jack said as they walked in the door.

"Mr. Kendall, thanks for coming in," Samantha said as she shook his hand. She and Jack took seats across from him. "I'm Agent Spade. We spoke on the phone. This is Agent Malone. We just have a few questions for you regarding Kathryn Taylor."

"No problem. I'll help in any way I can. It's strange though...Kathryn Taylor...I can hardly believe she is married with a child."

"You married as well, right? And you have a newborn daughter?" Samantha asked with a smile.

"Yes. Right. I guess we both finally moved on," Richard said as he returned the smile.

"How did you two meet?" Jack asked.

"Oh...let's see...Kathryn was in college...a sophmore I think. I was in law school. Our parents are Country Club aquaintences. My mother asked me to look her up since she was going to the same school I was. So I did. And we started dating," he answered matter-of-factly.

"And then you got engaged?" asked Samantha.

"Yes...well after we dated for two years. We...uh...took things rather slow. Kathryn was inexperienced to say the least. She hadn't really dated anyone before me. I actually found that rather refreshing. Usually, the girls I met in college had been around the block a few times."

Samantha glanced at Jack with an annoyed expression and then said, "So she was real marriage material?"

"I guess you could say that. She's beautiful, from a great family, smart and very kind. It was no-brainer to ask her to marry me."

"Were you surprised when she left you at the alter?" asked Jack.

"At first...very surprised and hurt......a little humiliated. But after a while, I started to realize she had gradually slipped away from me. If I had been more attentive, I would have known that she wasn't happy. I think she was trying to please her parents by being with me. Of course, I had hoped that she loved me as much as I loved her, but...," he replied with a far-off expression.

"Do you love her still?" asked Samantha pointedly.

Richard laughed as he tried to re-focus. "No. Those feelings are ancient history. She and I both moved on."

"How did you hear that she moved on?"

"My parents kept me informed. We were all pretty shocked when we found out she had a child out of wedlock. The Kathryn I knew...well she would have been mortified at the thought. She must have changed quite a bit after we broke up. According to her mother, the man she got involved with is from a very different world than ours. Kathryn probably wanted to rebel a little after walking the straight and narrow for so long. Getting involved with this man and getting pregnant...I guess she certainly did rebel."

Samantha shared another annoyed glance with Jack. She wanted to respond to Kendall, but before she could, Jack asked, "Did you ever try to contact her?"

"No. At one point, I thought about trying to re-connect with her...just to be friends. But, it just seemed easier to let things go. And she obviously had changed a lot from the innocent girl I knew. And then I met Meryl, and she and I married."

"That's right. You married a little over a year ago, correct?" Samantha asked.

"Yes. And now Meryl and I have a beautiful little "

"That's nice," Samantha responded. "So, Mr. Kendall, can you tell us where you were yesterday morning?"

"Oh...let's see...I was at the office. And then, I went to the Waldorf around noon for a lunch meeting."

"And after that?" Jack asked.

"Back to work around one, I guess. I did paperwork for most of the day. You can check with my secretary."

"We'll do that. Thanks for you time, Mr. Kendall." Jack said.

"If there is anything else I can do, please don't hesitate to call. Kathryn will always have a special place in my heart."

"We will. Thank you." Samantha responded as they got up and lead Kendall out of the room.

After they left him at the elevator, Jack asked, "Well, Ms. Skeptical, what do you think?"

"Why are you asking me like that?" Samantha asked with an amused expression.

"I can tell you don't like him."

"You know me too well, Jack. He seemed a little too perfect, and how dare he judge Kathryn or the choices she made. She met him when she was 19...of course she's going to change. I'll check his alibi. He's probably clean...but I still don't like him. I can tell why Kathryn probably felt suffocated by the thought of spending her life with him," she said knowingly.

"That's harsh, but do check the alibi. Then call Viv. I want you and her to meet with Sylvia Marquez ASAP," Jack said as he headed to his office. "I'm going to check on Wyatt's polygraph."

"Will do," she responded as she headed to her desk.

As Jack and the team continued to run down leads, Danny paced around his apartment in frustration. While Viv was there, she tried to calm him down after Jack told him about Hanes. The thought of Hanes hurting her again made Danny feel sick. He tried to distract himself by feeding Michael breakfast and then giving him a bath. Danny wondered if Michael knew that Kathryn was gone. He figured he had to know because she was usually with him everyday. Danny watched him as Michael played with Maggie on the floor of his room. Maggie was keeping him occupied while the CSU team combed their apartment. Vivian left shortly after the CSU team got there. She said she had to meet Samantha so they could interview Sylvia. Danny couldn't imagine what Sylvia would say to them.

He watched the CSU team take a part their bedroom. They took the took the linens off the bed and went through all the drawers. There was a layer of film over much of the room that indicated they dusted for fingerprints. Part of Danny thought it was a waste of time. Nothing happened to her in the apartment. He knew that she never got back to the apartment. But he didn't get in the way. If Jack wanted this, he was doing it for a reason. Danny then walked back to the living room room and continued to pace around impatiently. He hated feeling helpless. He should be out looking for her. She was now missing for over 24 hours. He stopped at a bookshelf that was lined with pictures. They were mostly of Michael. But there was one of the two of them on their wedding day. Kathryn bought a disposable camera from a street kiosk before they went into the courthouse. After the ceremony, she asked their witness to take a picture. Danny remembered finding a janitor to witness the ceremony for them. They didn't bring anyone with them except for Michael. He touched her face as he looked at the picture. There were tears in her eyes. He'd never known anyone who could cry as easily as Kathryn. She cried when she was happy, sad or angry. He always wanted to fix it when she cried. Fix whatever made her tears come. He wondered if she was crying right now.

As he thought about that, he suddenly had an overwhelming urge to go the office. He felt like he had to do it. He couldn't stay there any longer. He walked back to the Michael's room to tell Maggie. He had barely spoken to Maggie since their argument the night before. "Hey...um...I have to get out of here. Can you stay with Michael?"

"Where are you going?" she asked in a concerned tone.

"I have to look for her. I have to find her. I can't...I can't wait around here anymore. I just need to know that Michael is safe...I need to know that if I leave you won't let him out of your sight."

"Of course I'll stay with him. But, are you sure you should get involved?"

"I don't have any choice. I have to find her. After the CSU team leaves, I'll make sure an agent stays here. Please don't take Michael anywhere. OK?" Danny said half afraid to leave Michael with her for fear that she would try to take Michael from him.

"I won't take him anywhere, I promise. I just want you to find my little girl, Danny," she said as tears filled her eyes.

"I will," he said right before he kissed Michael and walked out the door.