The Heart's Refusal to Believe – Part 4
Huge thanks to TZMaverick and NG for Beta reading this Chapter!! You two have helped me tremendously.
To everyone that has reviewed, I am amazed so many of you are enjoying the story. Thank you very much and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!!
Jacob looked up at Jack. "It's not her."
"No. it's not." Jack said as the tears of relief continued to fall.
"So, where is my little girl, Jack?"
"I don't know, but we're going to find her."
Jack and Jacob returned to the Conference room. The other three men had returned and were waiting for them, knowing they had been to the infirmary.
Daniel was the first to notice them. "Is it …?" He was unable to finish his sentence.
"No." They have never been so relieved to hear that one word.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, we're sure. It's not Carter. Dr. Brightman is going to continue with the DNA samples to make it official, and hopefully identify the victim correctly." Jack said as he and Jacob sat down at the conference table.
"Then whathas become ofColonel Carter?" Teal'c asked.
"THAT is what we are going to find out." Jack said picking up a pen to play with as he thought about their next step. "We believe a blue sedan followed her after she left the base. It's probably the same car that was at Pete's house. We can only assume that Pete's involved in this somehow, or it's a really good ruse. At any rate, I think Pete's our strongest link in finding her."
"What do you suggest, Jack?" Jacob asked
"We either go over there to shake him up a little to see if he really is involved … or we be more subtle and hope he gives us some information we can use."
"Well, we don't want him on the run. If he disappears, so may our chances of finding Colonel Carter." General Hammond said.
"I don't think it's a good idea for Jack to go over there if we are going to be subtle."
"What are trying to imply Daniel?" Jack said annoyed.
"The two of you were at each others throats from the time we arrived." Daniel could see the death glare that Jack was giving him. "I'm only suggesting that maybe someone like Jacob goes to see him. You know the grieving father going to see his daughter's fiancé. Maybe he'll slip up and say something to him; that he wouldn't say to us."
Jack knew Daniel was right. There was just something about Pete that he didn't like. "Fine. But if he is guilty, he's going to watch everything he says. It'll be very hard to trip him up."
"Give me a little credit, Jack. I gather delicate intel on a daily bases." Jacob said and then turned toward Daniel. "Did you say 'daughter's fiancé'?"
"Uh … Yeah. Sorry Jacob, I forgot you have been gone for a while. Sam and Pete were … or are engaged."
"I didn't realize they were that serious." Jacob was surprised to find out his daughter had taken such a big step in her life.
Jack's mind flashed back to the early morning hours on base when she showed him her ring. Shock didn't even describe how he felt. He couldn't believe how quickly Pete proposed, but if that's what she wanted then he wasn't going to interfere, no matter how difficult it would be to watch her walk down the aisle to someone else. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to her that early morning. Was she asking for his opinion or his blessing?
Jacob brought Jack back to the present when he spoke. "Alright, I'll go over there and play the grieving father, and see what I can find out."
Pete was lying on the couch when the doorbell rang. He answered the door to a familiar stranger he had only seen before in pictures. "You're Sam's dad …" Pete said more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah and I guess you're Pete?"
"Yeah ... Uh … come on in. Sorry the place is a mess. I haven't felt much like cleaning lately." Pete said as he picked up old take-out boxes. He could be viewed as a man in mourning or just a slob.
"Have they told you?" Pete asked cautiously.
"Yeah, they told me when I got back in town."
"How are you doing?"
"I guess okay, under the circumstances. It's been really difficult, especially not being able to be here for her funeral. It just makes it more difficult."
"I'm sorry about that quick funeral. The Funeral Home said we could have the funeral the next day or wait three days. Sam said you were out of town. She hadn't heard from you in a couple of months, and wasn't able to contact you. So when Mark said he would arrive the night after she died I didn't see any reason to prolong it. I thought the closure would help all of us. I'm sorry. Had I known you would be here I would have waited." Tears formed in Pete's eyes.
'I have to give him credit. He plays the grieving fiancé well.'
'Perhaps we should not judge him until we know all the facts, Jacob.'
'All the facts point to him.' Selmak could feel Jacob's anger.
'You should calm down Jacob, or he will suspect something.' Jacob realized Selmak was right and tried to relax.
Pete noticed Jacob's facial expressions and wondered if Jacob was alright. He appeared to be talking to himself. "Um … are you okay?"
"I'm just thinking about the last time I saw her." Jacob covered.
"I keep doing that a lot too. I just wish …" Pete closed his eyes as the words died on his lips.
"You wish what?"
"I just wish … I had never called her that morning."
"How did you even know she was back in town?"
Pete opened her eyes in disbelief. "You know what she does for a living?"
'Crap. What do I tell him?'
'The truth… Although, I think it would be wise not to speak of the Tok'ra.' Selmak added.
"I'm military too, remember."
"Do you work there as well?"
"No, I work at a different branch. I really don't get to see her that much."
"Oh. Um … well it was my partner's idea." Pete said as an explanation to Jacob's question.
"How so?"
"Well I didn't get to see her much in the last month because of her work. You know how important her work, her team, and the General were to her." Pete said with an edge of sarcasm. Jacob noticed his obvious dislike toward Jack.
"That's one reason why I transferred here. I knew she loved what she did and if we were going to make it work I would have to be the one to make the sacrifice."
"You don't seem to agree with her career choice." Jacob said a little annoyed.
"I didn't care what she did for a living, but did it really have to consume her life. Everything came second to that damn job."
Selmak was trying to calm Jacob before he tore Pete limb from limb. He had no idea how many sacrifices she made to allow him and everyone else on this planet to sleep peacefully, while she had to deal with the nightmares. After a long moment, and with Selmak's help, Jacob was able to speak with an even tone. "What she did was very important, it's wasn't a nine to five job. You're a cop, you should know that."
"That's just it. I do know how consuming your work can get, but you have to make time. I moved here to spend time with her and I didn't see her anymore then I did when I was living in Denver. That's why I would call her cell and leave a message saying I was thinking about her, hoping that it would serve as a reminder that she did have another life."
"So that's why you called her." Jacob did his best not to sound like he was making an accusation.
"Yeah. I was surprised when she answered. I wanted to see her to make sure she was alright. She didn't want to come of course, but I pleaded with her and she finally gave in and decided to come over."
Selmak was still trying to keep Jacob's temper in check.
"It's all my fault."
Jacob was surprised.
"If I hadn't called her she would still be alive." Pete said as he seemed to lose the anger he demonstrated just moments ago. Now he was near tears. Neither said a word. Pete was lost in thought and Jacob was cautiously observing his behavior.
"When I heard the call on my radio, I rushed to the scene praying it wasn't her. When I got there and saw her car I nearly lost it. I ran to the car, but I couldn't get to her. There … there was so much damage." Pete said quietly.
"Were you ever able to get to her?" Jacob asked.
"No. The firemen arrived and were able to remove enough wreckage to allow the paramedics to work on her. Good thing Jameson arrived or I would have gone crazy waiting. They finally got her out and took her to the ambulance. I never saw her again," Pete said sadly.
"I thought you were …" Jacob didn't get to finish his question. They were interrupted by the doorbell. Pete quickly got up to answer the door. A large man with black hair and a mustache walked in.
"Hey Pete. How are you holding up?"
The two men walked into the living room where Jacob was now standing.
"Oh. I didn't realize you had company. Hi. I'm Jameson, Pete's partner."
"Sorry. This is Jacob Carter, Sam's dad." Pete introduced them.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Sir."
"Thank you. It's been difficult."
"I hate to interrupt, but Captain Winters wants us to look over a case for him tonight and get him a report first thing in the morning." Jameson said directing his comment to Pete.
"Did you bring the case files with you?"
"No, we'll have to go to the station. He seemed pretty adamant about getting them first thing."
"Alright. Jacob, it was nice to meet you, but it sounds like I've got to go to work. How long are you in town?"
"I'm not sure. If you two need to go into the Station that's fine. It's been a long day. Maybe we can talk later."
"That's a good idea." Pete said as the three men exited the house. Jacob walked over to the car the SGC let him borrow.
The other two men got into Jameson's … blue sedan.
Jacob quickly called Jack to verify the license plate.
"That's the same one. Do you see it?" Jack asked.
"Yes. Pete's partner Jameson is driving it. The two are leaving to head back to their office. It's going to be obvious if I follow them. Do you think you can help me tail them?"
"Sure I'm at home. Daniel and Teal'c are here too. Are you at Pete's?"
"Yes. We're leaving his house now. I can follow them until I reach West Main or Jefferson Street. Can you pick them up from there?"
"Yes. Daniel and Teal'c are going to take Daniel's car and head them off at Jefferson Street. I'll head toward McAlester Blvd. they should pass me if they are going to the station, or to the interstate. I'll be able to see them either way."
Jameson and Pete were unaware of the men that were following them. Jacob passed the two men off to Daniel and Teal'c as he turned to go toward Sam's house.
Daniel and Teal'c handed them off to Jack as SG-1 pulled into a fast food restaurant.
Jack followed them to the Police station, much to his disappointment. He was hoping they could get a lead on Sam's whereabouts. Jack called Jacob, Daniel, and Teal'c to inform them that he was sitting outside the Police Station.
He asked Teal'c and Daniel to bring the long range tracking devices that Carter worked on. For once Jack was glad she had turned down his offer to go fishing and decided to work on the tracking devices instead. This may very well be what could enable them to find her in the long run.
They arrived an hour later. Jack watched as Teal'c placed a tracker under Jameson's back bumper. He was sure no one had seen him. Teal'c and Daniel left to add a tracking device under Pete's car at his house.
Jack watched the car for another forty-five minutes. He had called Daniel to verify that the tracking devices were working. Once he was satisfied that they were, he then headed back to join Daniel and Teal'c at the SGC.
They were all waiting for Jack when he arrived, including Jacob.
"Well have they moved?"
"Yes. They left 10 minutes ago heading towards Pete's."
All four men watched the blinking light travel across the street map on Jack's laptop. When it finally stopped at Pete's house, everyone waited in anticipation for them to leave again. Fifteen minutes later the blinking light belonging to the blue sedan indicated movement. All of them were surprised when it stopped at a neighborhood about 10 miles from the SGC.
Daniel quickly looked up the address and found it belonged to Jameson.
"Well he's not going to keep her at his own house." Jack said.
"That would be most unwise."
"Well I'm going to go check it out."
"I will accompany you O'Neill." Teal said.
Jack and Teal'c drove by the little house with the blue sedan parked out front. He didn't want to draw any attention so he continued to drive by as the single light in the house was turned off.
"It appears he is resting for the night, O'Neill."
"Yeah. And there are no other cars in the area. I think it's a safe bet he's gone to bed. Maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow."
They returned to the SGC. Once they were satisfied that neither Pete nor Jameson were going anywhere they decided to break the night into two shifts. Daniel and Teal'c left for their base quarters allowing Jacob and Jack to keep first watch in case either car left during the night.
Jack was once again waiting in his office; his stomach tied in knots. He knew she was alive, but he didn't know where she was, or who had her if Jameson and Pete were not keeping an eye on her at the moment.
"I guess we just wait."
"Yes. They can't make a move without us knowing about it. I'm almost positive they will take us to her. Did you find anything out at Pete's?"
"He's …." Jacob wasn't sure how to describe Pete. "He's annoying?"
Jack tried to smother a smile. He was glad someone else didn't like him. Once Jack was sure he could keep a straight face he replied, "Why do you say that?"
"He doesn't respect her or her career! He doesn't like the amount of time she spends working or talking about her team when she's not working." Jacob decided he wouldn't tell Jack that Pete seemed especially annoyed when she talked about him.
"One minute he was bitter and jealous of her career and the next he was in tears saying it was his fault she died and if he hadn't called her, she would still be alive."
"Well he's partially right. If he hadn't called her she would still be here. Did he say how he knew she was in town?"
"It seems he leaves her messages on her voice mail to remind her she has a life and how much he misses her. He just got lucky when she answered."
"No wonder Sam grimaced when she got his call that morning."
"There is something he said that doesn't make any sense. He said he was never able to get close to her at the scene of the accident, and he never saw her again after the ambulance left." Jacob said puzzled.
"The autopsy report indicated he identified her, therefore he would have seen her again. Do you think he was lying to you?"
"Why would he lie? He knew we would check the autopsy report, especially after you guys told him you were investigating her death."
"I don't know Jacob. Maybe we should interrogate him up tomorrow to see if we can get any answers. We know Jameson's car was following Carter the morning she disappeared. Who was driving it, we don't know. Is Pete just playing the dumb cop hoping to throw us off their trail or is he really just a dumb cop that doesn't know what his partner is up to."
"I honestly don't know, Jack. Maybe I will ask him some more questions tomorrow."
Jack didn't miss the fact he wasn't included. That was fine, he would stay behind the scenes for now, as long as they were able to get some answers and bring Carter home.
TBC