A/N: I´m not from New York, I´m not even from the United States so if the geographical references are vague – well, that´s the point. Bear with me.
Continued from chapter 14
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Vivian breezed in. "Sorry I´m late."
"You´re not late," Samantha commented with a tired smile as she raised her head from her arms, which had been resting on the conference table. "The rest of us just never really seemed to leave."
She received a sympathetic look from Vivian, who held out her newly bought coffee. "Here, looks like you need it more than me."
Sam gratefully accepted the offered coffee, taking several quick sips even though her stomach instantly contracted in pain. "Where´s everybody else?" Vivian continued, slipping out of her coat and draping it over her chair before sitting down next to Samantha.
"Danny and Martin are talking to James Crowther. I think Jack´s on the phone in his office. They should all be here soon."
Vivian nodded, leaning back in her chair. "So… Erick White and Leo Altman?"
"Yes," Sam sighed, trying to decide whether the extra caffeine was worth the stomachache she was bound to have. "According to, Shelly, White´s girlfriend, Leo Altman was their main drug supplier. He-" But before she could elaborate, she was interrupted by Danny joining them at the table, looking annoyingly refreshed.
"Well, I think we´ve squeezed every drop of information out of Crowther by now. Martin´s just finishing off, then he should be here. It´s amazing how cooperative a man will become when he´s got a conspiracy to commit murder charge hanging over his head." He noticed the two new photos on the whiteboard. "So, we´re officially looking for both of them now?"
"Yes." Sam rose. "Altman´s mother reported him missing this morning. Although, I have to admit she didn´t appear to be too concerned; claims he disappears all the time. If Martin´s on the way, I´ll go get Jack."
"Ah, the unconditional love of a mother," Danny remarked sarcastically to Viv as Sam made her way to Jack´s office. "It´s heartwarming to witness."
The blinds to his office were closed, so Sam decided to knock, but received no answer. Opening the door halfway, she poked her head inside, surprised to find the office almost hidden in darkness, only a single lamp lit. "Jack?"
Again there was no response, but as her eyes adjusted, she spotted a figure lying on the couch. Slipping inside, she quietly walked over, smiling involuntarily at the sight of Jack fast asleep, his reading glasses still on and an open folder on his chest. Several of the papers were now lying scattered on the floor. He looked so peaceful that she almost felt bad for waking him, but she didn´t have a choice. Easing herself down onto the edge of the couch, she spoke softly, "Jack?"
No reaction so she touched his shoulder, shaking gently. "Jack, wake up. We´re ready for you now."
His eyes didn´t open and he didn´t stir and at first Sam thought he was still asleep, but then he let out a long sigh, speaking regretfully, "Too bad. I was just batting a thousand." He sighed again, then his eyes flickered open and he blinked a few times as he tried to focus on her face. "So, everyone´s ready?"
"Yes. Sorry." Sam smiled faintly.
Jack took off his glasses to rub his eyes. "What time is it?"
"A little after eight."
He started to sit up, causing the remaining papers to fall to the floor. "Oh great," he mumbled. "I used to be better at this. I could go for days without any sleep."
"Yeah, and just how healthy was that?" Sam commented wryly, rising from the couch to give Jack room to get up. "I have to admit, I´ve also nodded off a couple of times since we got here. And I´m younger." She began to collect the papers while Jack swung his legs round, but remained sitting. "You´d be surprised how comfortable a pillow the conference table will make when you´re tired enough."
"Oh, I already know that," Jack replied, rubbing his tired eyes again. Somehow he just couldn´t seem to wake up properly; all his thoughts felt muddled. Gathering the remaining papers from the couch, he handed them to Sam, who quickly sorted them and placed them back in the folder before tossing it onto his desk. Feeling strangely reluctant to go out and face the world, he looked up at her and asked, "How´s your neck?"
Sam gave him a somewhat rueful smile. "Well, let´s just say that falling asleep at the table did nothing to improve the situation. But I´ll live."
Jack studied her for a moment, then got to his feet. Coming to stand very close to her, he paused for a beat before saying quietly, "I can always help you with it later…?"
He searched her eyes as he spoke, but other than that he gave nothing away, the expression on his face calmly neutral. Sam bit her lip, knowing exactly what he was asking, but unable to find a response. There hadn´t been any time for them to talk about what had happened, or almost happened, between them and she had been slightly relieved, since she didn´t know what to tell him. She had hoped that he wouldn´t bring it up, or at least wait, but she should have known better. Jack was never one to beat about the bush.
The part offer, part question lingered between them a lot longer than it should and she suddenly felt self-conscious under the close scrutiny she was subjected to. She was certain that Jack was reading a lot more off her face than she was off his and she didn´t like it. However, she also knew she owed him an answer.
"Not now, Jack," she said finally, softening her words with a pale smile. "I´m too tired for this." It was only half an answer, she guessed, but it was the best she could do for now. But then, completely startling herself, Sam heard herself add, "Maybe… maybe later."
She had no idea where that came from, as it certainly wasn´t something she planned to say. But there it was, out in the open.
She had spoken so softly that Jack almost missed it, but from the nervous confusion he saw in her eyes, he knew he had heard her right. He could easily tell how conflicted she was and he felt sorry for her, not for the first time wondering if she hadn´t been better off if she had never met him. However, this time he effortlessly pushed the thought away. He was probably selfish, but he just didn´t care any more. He had tried to let her go more than once and it didn´t work - for either of them. He didn´t know what to say or do that he hadn´t done already to make Sam´s decision easier, so he resorted to the one thing he could still offer her: time.
Perhaps he wasn´t just guilty of being selfish, but also of being overly sure of himself, but the events in the corridor had convinced him that Sam would come around eventually. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but eventually she would. He had to believe that. It was the only way he could make sense of the tangled mess that was their relationship. They simply didn´t know how to be just friends and colleagues. They never really had - not even from day one. Short of turning into enemies or one of them leaving, that really only left them with one option.
He reached out, carefully brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear and said quietly, "Maybe later sounds good to me." It was one of those many intimate gestures they had continued to share over the years, despite how inappropriate it was and despite how 'over' they had told themselves they were.
She gazed into his eyes for a moment longer, the look in hers still the very picture of indecision. Then a tentative smile crept onto her face. "Okay." It looked like she was about to say more, but she didn´t and Jack spoke instead, glancing at the office doors, "The others are waiting."
"Yes."
"We should go."
"Yes." Sam agreed, then shook her head imperceptibly as if clearing her mind. "It´s time."
They shared one more small smile, then exited the office together and walked to the bullpen. All the other agents were already gathered at the table, absorbed in conversation that came to a halt when first Danny, then Martin spotted them.
"Hey boss!" Danny called out. "Don´t you look fashionable."
Jack gave him a look, knowing full well his hair was probably in dire use of a comb after his impromptu nap and said dryly, "Guess who´ll be working the graveyard shift and weekends from now on, Danny?"
Danny feigned mock remorse and Sam smiled as she sat down, rather enjoying the look of Jack´s tousled hair. It made him look very cute. However, she instantly forgot about that when she caught the look Martin was giving her from across the table. She fought the urge to avert her eyes and stared back defiantly, and after a few seconds he was the one who looked down.
Sitting down on a desk, Jack faced his agents. Letting out a low sigh, he said simply, "Okay, talk."
The four team members exchanged looks, then Danny took the lead, consulting the impressive amount of notes he had before him. "Martin and I rounded up all of Erick White´s friends yesterday, or at least all of his known friends I should say. One of them, a Timothy Miller, reluctantly admitted that he and Erick would occasionally hang out at the bowling alley where Leo Altman works. He also said he didn´t think Leo and Erick were friends. They just hung out from time to time. All of his friends claim they don´t know where either of them are. We have tried to locate some of Altman´s friends without much success. Doesn´t appear like he really has any. His co-workers at the bowling alley think he´s a little too full of himself."
Danny finished and turned his head to Martin, who picked up. "We also questioned Shelly Ashby, the girlfriend, and put a trace on her phone in case he contacts her. She admits to buying drugs from Leo Altman on various occasions. She doesn´t like him either, says he looks at her in a fake friendly, creepy way." He shrugged, glancing around. "Whatever that means."
"Oh, I know what that means," Sam commented, looking at Vivian, who nodded. "Me too."
Jack absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up even further and Sam wasn´t the only one to suppress a smile. "Okay, what else?"
"Not much to be honest," Martin replied, meeting Jack´s gaze. "Altman´s mother says she´s never heard of Erick White or Deborah Harrison. We put a trace on her phone, too, just in case. She did say her son would never sell drugs, but to be honest, I think that was more of a perfunctory reaction than actual belief in him. She also didn´t appear very concerned about his apparent disappearance; said he was bound to show up again."
"Okay." Jack nodded to himself, then looked to Sam. "Samantha?"
Sam turned to Vivian, as this was mainly for her benefit. "I´ll make it brief; most of it you know already. Jack and I spoke to James Crowther last night. Erick White came to see him, looking for Leo Altman. Since then no one has seen either of them. Crowther as well as we," she briefly caught Jack´s eye, "are concerned that Erick White is out to harm Altman, to avenge his grandmother´s death. Why Erick has reasons to believe that Altman is involved we don´t know. However, since James Crowther is beginning to think the same, there´s a possibility Erick may just be right."
"But that´s not the main issue here," Jack began, giving each of his agents a pointed look. "Whether Leo Altman´s actually responsible for Deborah Harrison´s death is irrelevant to us. What we have to concentrate on is finding Erick White as quickly as possible. I´m convinced once we find him, we find the other."
"Do you really think Erick White has it in him to hurt another human being?" Vivian asked doubtfully. "He doesn´t seem the type."
"Maybe not, but we can´t afford to assume." Jack shifted on the desk, his gaze turning to the whiteboard and the two photographs. Erick White looking sullen, refusing to look directly at the camera, and Leo Altman, without a care in the world, smiling confidently back at him.
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Leaving all of his clothes in a heap on the floor, Jack took a moment to study his face in the bathroom mirror, cringing inwardly by the sight of dark circles around his eyes. Then he sighed and stepped into the shower, shivering slightly when the cool spray hit him. He felt too complacent to take a truly cold shower, but hoped that even a little chill would do something to make him feel more alert. If he had any more coffee, he felt sure his hands would start shaking.
After a few moments of cool water, however, Jack gave into his inner hedonism and turned the tap to add more warm water, rationalizing that he wouldn´t get properly clean with cold water anyway. Despite his fatigue, the shower did make him feel a little better, maybe not that more awake, but at least he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders and ease the ache in his knee. Sitting on the hard floor outside James Crowther´s apartment half the night had served to remind him that he wasn´t 20 years old any more. Not that he regretted doing it; it had led to a breakthrough with Samantha and for that he would gladly have spent a month on that floor if need be. Jack smiled to himself. He had never considered himself to be much of a romantic; Sam just seemed to bring that side out of him although he would hardly consider her much of a romantic either. His mood turned more solemn as he tried to recall if Maria ever brought that out of him, too. Probably. A long time ago.
Shaking his head lightly, he turned his mind back to the case. He was only home to take a quick shower and change his clothes before he would return to work. He knew it was a silly, almost counter-productive thing to do, but he had made himself a promise that they would find Erick White before anything bad happened to either him or Leo Altman. He had failed finding Caroline White´s mother alive, but he wasn´t going to fail finding her son. He just had to find him before Erick did something that wouldn´t send him home to his mother, but to jail.
With renewed resolve, Jack began to lather up his hair when he heard the faint ringing of his cell phone. Swearing in disbelief and with soap and water dripping off of him, he turned off the shower and stepped outside. A quick search of his clothes revealed his phone and he flicked it open, speaking rather curtly, "Yes?"
"Jack? It´s Martin," he heard Martin speak at the other end and the urgency in his voice made Jack instinctively reach for a pen only to realize he was naked. "Erick White called his girlfriend a few minutes ago. He wasn´t making much sense, rambling about it being his fault that his grandmother died and that he has to make Leo Altman pay. Shelly tried to talk to him, but he wasn´t taking anything in; just told her to tell his mother that he was sorry and then he told her goodbye and hung up."
"I see," Jack said pensively. "Did we manage to get a trace?"
"Yes." Jack could hear the ruffle of papers as Martin looked for something. "The call was made from a payphone in an area where a lot of warehouses are located. According to Viv, not all of them are in use. Chances are that we´ll find them there."
Jack nodded even though Martin couldn´t see it. "Yes, I agree. Tell the others to get moving- where is everybody anyway?"
"Danny and the others are already on their way, and I´m just leaving Caroline White´s house. I wanted to bring an item of Erick´s clothing in case we'll need to call in the dogs."
"Good thinking. Okay, tell me where it- actually-" Jack interrupted himself when he realized something. "Martin, Caroline White´s home isn´t far from mine; just pick me up on the way. And yeah, call the others and tell them to wait till we get there."
"You want me to pick you up?" There was a slight incredulity to Martin´s tone.
"Is that a problem?"
"No, no, of course not," came the quick answer, Martin clearly hearing the slight edge to Jack´s own voice. "I´ll… I´ll be there in about ten minutes."
"Good." Jack snapped his phone shut without further comment. That just gave him enough time to finish his shower and get dressed.
True to his word, Martin pulled up outside Jack´s house about ten minutes later, finding his boss already waiting for him in the street. Stopping only long enough for Jack to get in, Martin immediately resumed driving, just lightly breaking the speed limit.
"We should get there in about 45 minutes if traffic allows it. Danny, Viv and Sam should be there in about 20. Backup´s already waiting. Are you sure you want them to wait for us?"
"No, you´re right. Time´s an issue here." Jack found his phone again and made a call to Danny, telling them to go ahead without them. Danny in turn told him that the area was huge and they would most likely still be looking when they got there. Once that was done, Jack glanced at his watch, sighed, and leaned back in his seat. Forcing himself to relax, he stared absentmindedly out of the window. There wasn´t anything else he could do anyway.
"It´s times like these it´d be nice if they would equip us with helicopters instead of cars," Martin remarked, sensing Jack´s impatience as well as feeling his own.
Jack smiled briefly. "Tell me about it." He looked at his watch again despite only mere seconds having passed since he last did it.
They spent some time discussing the various reasons why Erick White would feel responsible for Deborah Harrison´s death and still want to punish Leo Altman, but once every scenario had been thoroughly laid out, they gradually fell silent. Jack resumed looking out of the window, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Martin shooting him a glance from time to time. He clearly detected some hostility coming from the younger man – although he had to admit Martin was trying to hide it – so Jack decided that as long as it didn´t go further than that, he wasn´t going to do or say anything. In his opinion, Martin had a right to be angry, but he also knew he was too tired and exhausted to be reasonable, so he just hoped Martin wouldn´t bring up the one topic that was cause of all the tension in the car.
"Jack?"
Jack closed his eyes and groaned inwardly. He didn´t like the way Martin had spoken his name. There was no way this would be about the case. Exhaling slowly, he opened his eyes again and turned halfway to Martin. "Yes?"
Martin glanced at him. He couldn´t really afford to take his attention away from the traffic around him. "I um… I was just…" Their eyes finally met as they arrived at a traffic light.
Jack did little to hide his impatience and repeated tiredly, "Yes?"
But Martin didn´t continue; he just regarded Jack for what felt a very long time, but was in fact only as long as it took for the lights to change, then he looked away. "Never mind."
"Are you sure?"
Martin looked back at him, both men ignoring the angry horns from the cars behind them. The expression on his face revealed nothing as to what he had meant to ask. Only his eyes showed any emotion, but before Jack could properly identity what it was, Martin suppressed that as well. Turning away once more, he just said quietly, "Yes, I´m sure."
They drove on in silence and Jack´s mind began to wander when all of a sudden Martin put an end to that.
"You´re still not good enough for her."
It was stated with obvious bitterness, but no real resentment. More like resignation.
Jack sighed softly, then admitted, "Probably not."
The admission clearly took Martin by surprise and he turned his head quickly, but Jack was still looking out the window.
"Then why?"
Jack turned his head slowly, holding Martin´s gaze for a moment before speaking, "You know why. Is making me say it out loud really going to make you feel any better?"
Before Martin could respond, Jack almost grabbed the wheel. "Hey, turn right here!" Martin just managed to turn in time and as they rounded the corner, the first warehouses came into view along with several police cars.
"Finally." Jack consulted his watch. "Although we did make good time. Park over there."
Martin did as he was told and the engine had barely stopped before Jack was out of the car, walking briskly toward the small gathering of people outside the nearest warehouse. Vivian was there as was Samantha and even from the distance, Martin could see the smile that lit up her face when she spotted Jack.
It was faint, it was brief and it was obvious.
TBC…