"What!" Vivian asked and handed Martin his coat.
"I don't know much. Samantha took her to the park and her back wasn't turned for more than a minute. And someone took my daughter!" He was enraged, not at Vivian or Danny or Samantha, but at whoever took Lily.
"We'll go with you. Help you look." Danny suggested
"I'll get Jack." Vivian said and walked toward Jack's office.
"I have to go. Can you guys meet me there?" Martin asked
"Yeah. Sure." Martin gave Danny the address of the park and ran out of the bullpen.
"What happened?" Jack asked rushing out of his office
"Martin just left, someone took Lily." Danny said and grabbed his cell phone and made way toward the elevator.
"Oh, God." Jack sighed; he knew what it was like to loose a child-or two children- but at least he knew they were okay. Martin and Samantha didn't know who had their daughter or where she was. "Okay, let's go."
Fifteen Minutes Missing
When Martin got to the bench were Samantha was, he saw that her face was already red and tear stained from crying.
"Martin, I'm so sorry. I just…" She begun crying again and Martin hugged her.
"It's not your fault. It's not your fault at all, Samantha." He said trying to comfort her.
"I know…I've worked this job for how many years and I let this happen? What are we going to do?"
"We do this stuff everyday. We can make it though. We'll find her." Martin said and wiped her tears away.
"I know." Samantha seemed to feel a little bit better, even though she was still miserable. It helped to have Martin there.
"They're on their way. They're going to help us." Martin said. Samantha had known instantly who "they" were, and it wasn't long before Danny's black car pulled up near them.
"Sam! Are you okay?" Danny asked as he ran toward her.
"No." She said and leaned into Martin's shoulder.
"Okay, Martin and I will ask around to see if anyone's seen her. Vivian will talk to you. And Jack is working with the police to search the area."
"Okay." She said and gripped Martin's hand until he followed Danny. Vivian walked up to her, "I'm so sorry, sweetie." And Samantha began to cry again.
"I should have kept her near me. I should have been watching her the whole time!" Sam said and wiped her eyes. Vivian sat down on the bench next to her.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I was in the bathroom," Sam pointed in the direction, "and I turned to get paper towels and then when I turned around, the stroller was gone."
"Okay. Was there anyone in the bathroom with you?"
"There was…um…an older lady," She pointed to the woman Martin was talking to, "And a woman with two kids, the kids looked about three and six." Vivian looked around the area and saw a woman with two kids talking to Danny, there was also a man next to her, most likely her husband. "And that's all I saw. The kids were kind of loud and the older woman was leaving right when I went to wash my hands, she told me how cute Lily was."
"And there wasn't anyone else?"
"Not that I saw." Samantha tried to remain calm for the sake of Lily. "But I think a couple of the doors were closed. I didn't notice anyone come out when Lily was...taken."
"And did you see a stroller?" Martin asked the elderly lady.
"Yes and a baby. Oh, the cutest baby. And then I left. I wasn't out of the bathroom for a minute when I heard yelling."
"Yelling?" Martin asked
"Yes, the blond woman was looking for a lily." The woman seemed to have hearing problems.
"Okay. And did you see anyone leave the bathroom after you?"
"No."
"Okay, thank you." Martin sighed and walked toward Danny. "Got anything?"
"Not really. The woman with the kids pretty much said everything we already know."
"Kids can be pretty perspective, did they say anything?" Martin asked
"The older one said that she saw someone with a stroller right before Sam started yelling. She said she didn't really see their face."
"Great." Martin shook his head and glanced over at Samantha, who was leading Vivian over to the bathrooms. "I guess we just keep asking questions."
"Don't we always?" Danny said and he and Martin separated.
"Find anything?" Jack asked the police officers who were scouting the area.
"Well, it looks like stroller tracks here. But, then again, it could be from anything."
Thirty Minutes Missing
The team sat around the table as they had so many times before, but this time they all seemed on edge.
"Sam? Are you sure you want to work?" Jack asked her
"Yes." She said bluntly.
"Okay." He said softly, "Danny, what all do you have so far?" Danny stood up and walked toward the white board.
"Well, I was thinking that a woman may have taken her. Or maybe a woman hired or working with a man."
"Okay." Martin said
"There were kids in the bathroom, right?" Sam nodded in agreement, "So if two little girls saw a man in a women's restroom, they would notice it."
"I'm sure everyone would." Vivian said and sighed, "So were does that leave us?"
"There must have been something we overlooked," Jack thought for a second, "The restroom. No one saw anyone leave with a baby stroller from the front."
"We checked the exits and entrances," Vivian said, "The only other ways out of there was though an employee door which goes into a storage room and a window that was stuck half-open. Not big enough to fit a person or a stroller."
"The storage room," Jack hesitated, "where does that lead?"
"No where," Sam said, "It's just a closet."
"What was in it?" Jack asked
"Garbage cans, trash bags, rakes," Vivian replied, "we looked though it all. Nothing out of place."
"Wait a second," Danny said and walked back to his desk, "would it be possible that maybe we shouldn't be looking for someone with a stroller. Maybe just the baby."
"You think the ditched the stroller?" Martin said and stood up.
"Yeah, I think that the asshole took the stroller, ditched it and took only the baby, and walked out of the park without a care in the world."
"I'll kill them." Samantha said under her breath, so quietly that no one understood what she was saying.
"Okay, Martin and Danny, go back to the park. We'll stay here." Jack said and the other agents nodded. Sam stood up and walked toward her desk. It was weird for her to back at work, and working such a hard case.
Forty Minutes Missing
"Hey, Martin, I found it." Danny said as he walked into Martin's view carrying a dirty stroller.
"Yep, that's it." Martin said sadly and walked toward him.
"It was hidden under a pile of trash, a big pile of trash. I'm surprised PD didn't find it." Danny put it down and walked toward the pile of leaves, Martin followed.
"So now we are just looking for someone, possibly female, with a baby. That's just great." Martin said and walked toward the pile of trash.
"Martin, we'll find her." Danny reassured.
"I know." Martin put on a pair of rubber gloves and begun to look through the trash for any more evidence. Danny phone rang.
"Taylor…hey Jack…yea…how far? Okay, we're on our way." Danny hung up and turned toward Martin. "Marty, there was surveillance camera footage from a few blocks away of a mysterious woman carrying a bundle about the size of a six-month-old baby."
"Okay," Martin stood up, "let's go."
One Hour Missing
"How are you holding up?" Vivian asked Samantha who hadn't moved from her desk for the past half hour.
"I've been better." She said sadly, obviously trying to hide back tears.
"Can I get you anything? Coffee?"
"Coffee would be good." Sam looked back down at the desk, "What's the deal with the surveillance camera?"
"We're not sure. The guys are checking it out." Vivian said and walked out of the bullpen, "If there is anything you need, I'm here."
"Thanks, Viv." Sam forced a smile and let out a deep breath.
"So, Mr. Burke, did you see anything?" Danny asked the manager and an employee of the drugstore that had footage of the mystery woman.
"A woman, maybe in her late twenties or early thirties, came into the store holding a baby. I assumed the child was hers."
"Did she buy anything?" Danny questioned.
"Umm…she bought a toothbrush and some hair dye. And baby stuff." Said the redheaded teenage girl with a name tag reading 'My name is Mara, how may I help you?'
"Okay, do you have a receipt? How did she pay?" Martin asked
"Credit card, I think. We were pretty busy then." Mara replied.
"Mara? Receipt!" Said the manager, he seemed to be ashamed that he let a suspected kidnapper walk out of the store.
"Okay, okay. Hold on." The girl walked toward the cash register.
"Did you notice anything suspicious?" Danny asked
"Not really, I hardly got a lot at her. But now that you ask me, she did seem rather fidgety. Kinda nervous like." Danny nodded at his response.
"Okay, I got it." Mara said as she walked back holding a receipt. "Here it is. She used a credit card, bought 'Bronze Delight' hair dye, a toothbrush, a pack of diapers, a pacifier, and baby ointment, and some formula."
"Definitely caring for a baby." Danny said.
"We just have to find out whose baby." Martin said sadly.
One hour, twenty minutes Missing
"Find anything?" Jack asked as Martin and Danny entered the bullpen.
"Yeah, actually we did. It could be a false alarm, but someone bought some hair dye and baby supplies about a half hour after the abduction, only a few blocks away." Danny said
"Okay, good. Viv and I will track down the shopper. Everyone else, sit tight." Vivian begun to track down the shopper, and Martin's cell phone rang.
"Unknown number." He said before he answered it
"Could be ransom," Jack said to the technician, "Be ready to track it. Martin, keep them on as long as possible."
"I know," Martin prepared to answer the phone and Samantha and Danny watched carefully. "Hello?"
"Agent Fitzgerald," Said a mechanical voice, "I hear you're missing something…or should I say someone."
"What do you want?"
"How kind of you to ask me that, Agent. I don't think I'll tell you, though."
"Where is she!"
"All in good time." The line went dead.
Martin looked up at Jack, "Did we get him?"
"Almost, the call came in from Brooklyn; we got a ten mile radius. Danny, Martin, let's see what we can find. Viv and Sam, check out the shopper."
"Okay." Vivian replied and Sam met her eyes with Martin's. They both looked sad, but Martin was trying to remain calm for Samantha's sake. Martin left and Samantha walked over to Vivian.
"Okay, the credit card is registered to a Karen M. Jones. I'd bet the 'M' stands for moron." Vivian checked the DMV records for a Karen Jones. "Looks like there is at least a hundred."
"Cross-check though Brooklyn. And anyone between the ages twenty-five and forty." Sam said, it was the first time she'd spoken in almost an hour.
"Okay, now about a dozen." Vivian looked though anyone registered within the ten mile radius that the call came in. "Down to five." Vivian picked up the photo from the drugstore camera. "Okay, Caucasian race, Down to three."
"I'll call Danny; have them check out the remaining woman."
Two Hours Missing
"Karen Jones?" Danny asked the frail looking woman with dark brown hair.
"Yes?" She seemed nervous.
"I'm agent Danny Taylor, FBI. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions."
"Sure." She said with her head poking out of the door.
"Where were you around ten o'clock this morning?"
"I was…out."
"Out where?"
"I was shopping."
"Shopping where?"
"Umm…in the city. At Saks."
"For how long."
"A couple hours, I just got home."
"Can anyone verify that?"
"Most likely. Are we done now?"
"One more question, did you recently dye your hair."
"No…I mean yes. I mean a couple days ago."
"My sister, my daughter, my sister, my daughter. What is it?"
"Huh?"
"Chinatown, Jack Nicholson? Just answer the question; when did you dye your hair?"
"Last night."
"What color is it? Bronze Delight?"
"I don't know. Why is this relevant?"
"Do you have a baby?"
"No."
"Shocking. Do you have niece or cousin or baby sister?"
"No."
"Then why were you buying baby supplies at Walgreen's two hours ago holding a baby, which you don't seem to have?"
"Please leave!" The woman shut the door in Danny's face and Danny picked up his phone. "Hey Jack? I think we found the mystery lady. We just need to see if her alibi checks out, but I doubt it will."
Two hours, twenty minutes missing
"This Karen Michelle Jones used to be Angela Kramer. She changed her name two years ago. She has a record of drug trafficking for her brother…Todd Kramer." Vivian said to Jack on her cell phone.
"What's the deal with Todd Kramer?"
"Well, now he is Kevin Mitchell James."
"They have the same initials, and the new names are very close. Find anything on Kevin?"
"According to the DMV records, he lives twenty miles from Karen…and…oh God…"
"What? What did you find?" Jack asked irritated.
"It looks like they had another brother, Paul Kramer."
"Paul Kramer? From the Caitlyn Kruger case?"
"Yes. No wonder these people have a grudge against Martin."
"Yeah. Okay, I guess we should go meet Kevin James." Jack and Vivian hung up.
"What did you find?" Samantha asked as she walked toward Vivian's desk.
"I'm not sure you want to know."
"I want to know, Vivian."
"Okay," Vivian took a deep breath, "About five months ago, a ten year old girl went missing. We tracked her down, and it turns out she was kidnapped and killed by Paul Kramer."
"So?"
"So, when we found him, he drew his gun and aimed at Danny. He shoots, and barely missed him. But then Martin…"
"What?"
"Martin shot Kramer, and killed him."
"Oh." Samantha sat down on the desk. "He never told me."
"I guess he felt too guilty. He never really talked about it to anyone."
"That was right after Lily was born." Samantha said to herself
"Yeah. We weren't aware of any family he had, since they had changed their names. I guess now they are out for revenge."
Samantha put her head in her hands, "We have to find her. I don't know what I'll do if we don't."
"I know. I want to find this bastard as much as you do, Samantha. And fortunately for us, they are not too smart. It shouldn't be too long now."
Two Hours, Forty-five minutes missing
"Todd Kramer! FBI! Open up!" Martin yelled to the disclosed cabin in the middle of nowhere. Vivian, Samantha, and Danny had gone there right away, while Jack and Martin had watched Angela/Karen until she left her apartment and went to the cabin.
"Idiot." Jack had said as their suspect lead them right to the other suspect. "FBI!" Martin yelled again as Danny and Jack circled the perimeter. Samantha and Vivian sat in the car hidden from view. Vivian noticed Samantha didn't blink once when Martin begun to yell.
Pretty soon, Angela/Karen emerged holding a baby looking scared, and Todd/Kevin came out right behind them holding a gun.
"You asked for it!" Todd yelled and held up the gun and pointed it at Martin.
"Just give us the baby." Martin yelled and drew his gun
"No!" Todd yelled back
"Todd, just give them the baby." Angela said scared and the baby begun to cry. Samantha jumped up but Vivian held her down, "Just wait." Viv commanded.
"Shut the fuck up!" Todd pushed the gun against his sister's skull.
"Todd! Just put the gun down!" Jack commanded as he and Danny came around the corner. Danny aimed his gun at Todd's head, he had a clear shot.
"Don't shoot." Jack instructed to Danny "Viv," Jack paged Vivian, "Can you come out here for a second. Leave Sam in the car."
"Okay," Vivian replied, "Just sit tight, okay Sam. Everything is going to be okay."
Sam nodded and kept her eyes on Martin and Lily. She didn't know what she would do if she lost either one of them.
"Angela, I want you to give the baby to Agent Vivian Johnson." Jack said.
"No!" Todd yelled, "Don't give that baby to anyone. They took our brother, now we have the baby." Vivian carefully inched toward them and Martin covered her with the gun.
"Todd, I know you don't want to hurt anybody, okay." Martin said, "Now, just give Agent Johnson the baby. You're not going to get your brother back this way. You need to be a good person and give Agent Johnson the baby."
"My brother is dead because of you!" Todd pointed the gun at Martin and prepared to aim. The next few seconds seem to go in slow motion. As soon as the gun was aimed away from her, Angela fled and gave the baby to Vivian. The gun was pointed at Martin's head and just when it was about to be fired, Danny shot him point blank. Todd's body fell with a thud and a bullet was fired harmlessly into the ground. Vivian took Lily back to the car and gave her back to Samantha. Angela looked at her brother and begun to shrivel down into a crying heap, Jack and Danny walked over and handcuffed her. Martin stood up and ran toward the car.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked as Martin climbed in the back seat of the car with her.
"Yeah." He sighed. The baby begun to coo in Samantha's arms and Martin kissed her head. "Welcome back, Lily." He said and smiled at Sam.
"I'm so glad she's back," Sam begun to cry, "and I'm so glad that those people were criminal idiots." She said laughing nervously.
"She seems okay, I mean, I don't think she is hurt." Martin kissed Sam's temple and she leaned back into him. The baby begun to fall asleep.
"Doesn't look like it," Sam paused, "Can we go home now?"
Martin smiled, "I don't see why not."
