Notes: Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry this is slow going.
Spymaster: You're so right about the mistake with "Anna". This is what I get for thinking about a future Danny story while writing this one.
Mariel – I've noticed you mentioned awkward tense usage in a couple of your reviews. If you have time and you wouldn't mind, could you e-mail me what you are catching? I don't get any tense errors in grammar check, but that doesn't mean anything. Thanks for the feedback, as always.
Federal Building – 20 hours missing
Danny and Katie walked back into the federal building and he escorted her to his floor. When they got off the elevator, they saw Katie's mother sitting in a chair outside a conference room.
"Mother…are you okay?" Katie said as they approached her.
Mrs. Mason rose and immediately embraced her daughter. Danny observed that Mrs. Mason seemed more than nervous…she seemed terrified as she clutched her daughter. "Sweetheart…this is awful. I don't understand why they are doing to us."
"Just be honest. Answer their questions, and everything will be fine. The agents just want to find Tracey."
"Why would we have any idea where that girl is? It's criminal…it's criminal… interrogating us like this."
"Mrs. Mason…the sooner we can eliminate your family as suspects, the sooner we'll be able to find out what really happened to Tracey. Just cooperate and everything will be fine," Danny chimed in reassuringly.
Mrs. Mason hadn't even noticed him standing next to Katie. She pulled out of the embrace and looked at Katie. "What's going on? Why are you with him?"
Katie sighed and rolled her eyes at her mother's inappropriateness. "He works here mother. He's just…he's just…"
"I'm helping Katie any way I can," Danny interrupted as he gave Mrs. Mason a stern gaze. She still seemed to look down on him even after all these years.
Vivian approached them in the hallway. "Mrs. Mason, I'm Agent Johnson. If you'll follow this agent, we'll get your interview underway," Viv said as she motioned to another agent.
"My daughter…I want my daughter with me," Mrs. Mason cried.
"Is your daughter an attorney?" asked Vivian with a smile.
"No…she isn't, but I want her there."
"I'm sorry. She'll have to wait here for you."
Mrs. Mason sighed in displeasure. Danny could tell she wasn't used to not getting her way.
"Mother…you'll be fine. Just answer their questions. They interviewed me earlier, and it was relatively painless. I'll be right here when you get back."
"Fine, but I want you know up front what an inconvenience this is. We have nothing to do with this," Mrs. Mason stated as she followed the agent down the hall.
Vivian then addressed Katie. "Would you excuse Danny and I for a moment, Ms. Mathews? There's a waiting area right down there."
"Of course," Katie replied as she glanced at Danny uncomfortably.
Viv then turned to Danny. "You shouldn't be here. Jack told you to stay away."
"I have to talk to him, Viv. I might be able to help. I know these people. I know what they are capable of."
"That doesn't matter. Jack could barely say your name earlier. You should have been upfront to begin with."
"I had no idea that Mathews knew I was FBI. I didn't think Jack would find out that way. I was going to tell him."
"But you didn't, and now he's pissed. Go home, Danny."
"I told Katie that I would be here for her," Danny stated with hesitation.
"Mrs. Mathews is a possible suspect and, at the very least, a material witness to this. You can't be an agent in this unit and be there for her, Danny. It doesn't work that way."
"I'm off the case, so what difference does it make?" he asked defiantly.
"You know what…I don't have time to argue with you about this. You know the right thing to do, Danny. You know the right thing is to do what is best for the investigation. Think about that," Vivian said as she walked down the hall toward the interrogation room.
Danny shook his head. He couldn't think of the last time when he disappointed both Jack and Vivian in the same day. He didn't know which felt worse. He looked down the hall into the waiting area. Katie was sitting there rubbing her temples. As much as he knew he should go home, he felt compelled not to leave her. He knew that she would never leave him if he ever needed her. She came through for him so many times in the past, so he couldn't abandon her now.
Before returning to Katie, Danny found the courage to enter Jack's office. He was talking on the phone. Jacked looked up as Danny entered and shook his head as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. He ended his call and addressed Danny. "What do you want?"
"I want to explain. I want to try to explain why I wasn't upfront with you."
"I told you to go home."
"I can't go home, Jack. I need to be here. If I can't help with the investigation, then I need to be here for Katie."
"Katie? You mean Mrs. Eric Mathews?" Jack replied in slight anger. "What's the hell is going on Danny? This isn't like you."
"I owe her, Jack. I owe Katie…and I need to help her in any way I can."
"Does that include helping her family? Is that what you were trying to do? Protect her father?"
"No…absolutely not. I only care about her. Her father and her husband…they are capable of anything. I'm sure of that."
"What's the deal, Danny? How do you know these people? I seriously doubt you've traveled in the same circles as the Mason family."
Danny took a deep breath and let it out before attempting to explain. "When I was 16, I finally got into a good foster home situation. And I also got a scholarship to this great private school. It was like a new beginning for me. I met Katie at Brentland Academy and we became friends," Danny said as he sat down across from Jack. "A couple of years later, I was doing well in school and getting ready to graduate when my foster parents split town. By this time, I was eighteen, so social services couldn't do anything with me. I didn't have anywhere to go. I was homeless."
"So what…did the Masons take you in?"
"Not exactly," Danny said with a slight smirk. "Katie would sneak me into their apartment at night. She saved my life. Before she took me in, I was living in an abandoned building with crackheads and hookers. I stayed with her for over two weeks before they finally found out. And by that time, she and I had become more than friends. So her parents freaked, and her father threatened to pull my Brentland and NYU scholarships if I came near her again. So, I stayed away from her…"
"A real life Romeo and Juliet…how sweet," Jackresponded sarcastically. "That was over ten years ago. I don't see how you are still connected to her."
"Right before she married Mathews, we re-connected. Only…she didn't seem to want to leave Mathews for some reason, and I couldn't understand why. I got really drunk and confronted her…and then somehow we ended up in a car. I almost killed her, Jack. Before she collapsed, she switched seats with me so I wouldn't get in trouble."
"She saved your life again."
Danny nodded. "Not only that, but Mathews had a security tape of me getting into the car. He used it to influence her to stay with him. He's evil, Jack. I'm betting he's the one who is responsible for Tracey's disappearance."
"You could be right about that, but the fact that he has that on you is another reason you need to lay low, Danny. I understand your loyalty to this girl, but you also have a loyalty to this job."
"I know that. There is nothing more important to me than this place," Danny said as he looked around. "And I am sorry. It will never happen again."
"I know…"
"Jack…" Samantha said as she barged into the office. "I have something…" Then she noticed Danny sitting there. Danny stood up and started to head for the door.
"It's okay, Danny. What do you got, Sam?"
Danny let out a breath...thankful that Jack was giving him another chance.
"The evidence techs came across a small digital video camera in Tracey's apartment. It was hidden in a plant. Three guesses who is on it?"
"Mason…," Danny said as he shook his head.
"Exactly. He and Tracey are in a very compromising position. Now he does appear to be a bit out of it, so maybe he's drunk or they drugged him…"
"They?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, it gets better. Guess whose prints were all over the camera?"
"Mathews…" Danny guessed again.
"Bingo," Samantha responded. "Tracey did get in over her head. Either things went south with Mathews in some kind of blackmail scheme or…"
"Or Mason tried to cover his tracks by getting rid of Tracey. But then why would Eric stay quiet?" Jack asked.
"Well that must be why he is still at the company," Danny replied. "Either he's still there because he's still blackmailing Mason, or he had something to do with Tracey's disappearance and he doesn't want to rock the boat. Maybe he thinks with Tracey out of the picture, he has a shot with Katie again. This is probably all about money for him. Either he gets it through blackmail or marriage."
"The possibilities are endless, " Jack said pensively. "I'm going to take a run at Mason with this new information. Then I'll confront Mathews. Sam…see if we can get a warrant to search Mason's and Mathew's homes with this new evidence. And then let Viv know about the video, so she can drop it on Mrs. Mason."
Danny sighed. "Mrs. Mason is not going to be pleased."
"Yeah…well…maybe she already knows…"
Danny nodded. "Is there anything I can do?"
"At this point, you really can't be involved Danny," Jack replied quietly and then added, "but you can be there for Katie."
Samantha glanced from one man to the other curiously before turning and heading out the door. Jack also left. After they left, Danny walked down the hall to the waiting room to talk to Katie. His heart started to beat faster when he observed Eric in the room with her. It looked like they were arguing. Danny quickened his pace and stormed in the door when he saw Eric take hold of Katie's arms.
