1. The Day Before

Missing Person Unit, FBI, New-York 8:48AM

Jack had only arrived when his phone started ringing. He picked it up.
"Special Agent Malone speaking"
"Hello Jack it's Celia" said the rather worried female voice
"Hey Celia. What's up?" he was concerned. Celia was his neighbour and she was a great friend.
"It's Tim, Jack. He's... He's gone." She said withholding her tears.
"Gone? To where? I mean he's gone to school, right?"
"No, he's gone. He went out yesterday and you know he's 18 and a smart kid so I let him, he's got his key and my only worry is that he has to be on time for school in the morning."
"Okay, okay calm down. He hasn't come back since yesterday night?"
"His bed was untouched and nothing had changed."
"All right I'm on my way. Don't worry, Celia, we will find him. He can't be very far."
"Thank you Jack... he's been the only important thing in my life. I'm so scared."

Jack got out of the office and called Vivian
"Viv, callthe team we've got a case!"
"Sam hasn't called in yet. Martin and Danny are at the coffee machine."
"I'm calling Sam, get the guys going!"

Samantha was in her car when her cell phone went off.
"Shit, they've noticed I was missing."
"Spade" she said automatically.
"Sam where the hell are you?" it was Jack... just what she needed.
"I'm coming along. Traffic, I'm sorry."
"Right" he shrugged. "Look go straight to my apartment."
She dropped her phone in surprise. Quickly realising her mistake she retrieve it and spoke again.
"What? Jack I don't think it's a good idea..." she said nervously.
"Uh? Oh yeah! I mean no, we've got a case there."
"Oh right... em sorry."
"Yeah" and he hung up.

Christ. Bloody idiot, thought Samantha. Jack had called for a case and she had jumped to the wrong conclusion. What was she thinking of?
Wow. He hadn't think about that. Not a second he would have thought she was going to think that he... He could hear Vivian call Martin and Danny, he was still shaken. Did she still have this effect on him ?

The rest of the team appeared in front of the elevator. He wasn't able to tell where they were coming from. He was still deep in thought. Distracting thoughts. He quickly regained his appearance.

"Yo! What's going on?" asked Danny as the door closed upon them.
"Missing boy, 18, good kid, neighbour of mine. Disappeared in the night" Summarised Jack.

Jack's car, 9:09AM

"So... who's Celia?" asked Vivian casually.
"She's Tim's mother" Jack replied
"Uh huh." She acknowledged "and... to you?"
"She's a friend."
"Right." Said Vivian, he had taken the easy way out.
"What? No, I mean it. She's a friend. It's because, you know Tim's a friend of the girls. I mean he's a great kid. God he's not even a kid anymore."
"You don't have to tell me."
"Yeah I know."

The silence settled in for a few minute.
Then Jack broke it.

"I know I must have looked a bit shaken it's just... You know Maria has had this idea of sending Hannah to a Musical theory lessons to help her making friends in Chicago and whenever she's here Tim stops by and helps her because she quite doesn't get it when her teacher's explaining. So he comes in with the piano and they just... they have fun."
"Right"
"Sometimes when he has trouble with his Mum he comes to me, if I'm home. You know to let it out a bit."
"So you like him?" asked Vivian.
"Yeah... I s'pose I like him."
"Can you handle this?"
"Of course I can!"
"Okay... that's good for me then."

Celia Mykes's apartment, 9:32AM

Jack knocked on Celia's door when she opened he could see that she had done some serious crying. She said his name and fell into his arms right after that. Gently he calmed her for the crying had gone off again. Then as gently as he could he pulled her apart to get a good look.

"It's gonna be all right, I promise, Celia." He let go of her and took a more official tone.
"Celia this is my team. Special Agent Vivian Johnson, Samantha Spade, Martin Fitzgerald and Danny Taylor." At this he pointed the people whose name he cited and they all nodded at Celia. She tried a weak smile. "Do you mind?" and he nodded toward her open door.
"No, no, not at all. Come in" and with that she led the way inside.

They all settled in the living room awaiting Jack's order.
It was a small room. Two armchairs and a couch. The TV was off but Celia had her radio on. It played some pop song that was big these days.
She apparently loved red for her couch, armchairs and table were of that coloured. Her kitchen was a simple one, behind a bar. She seemed to have a lot of book. Jack had always figured she was very cultivated. A window was open so that a light wind was coming in.

"Celia, we're going to have to ask some question. They're not pleasant but it has to be done." Jack informed her.
"Yeah, okay. Whatever." She said helplessly.
"We'll also need to check Tim's room." He went on.
"I figured, it's over there" she said pointing her finger toward the other end of her apartment. "But you probably know your way around Jack, I'm sorry, it's just."
"I know" he said with a shadow of smile. "I'm going there with Martin, Viv is going to ask you a few question. Do you mind if Sam and Danny get a look around."
"No, no, do your job Jack."
"Right..." and he turned to Samantha and Danny "when you're done I want you both to go and have a few words with the neighbours. They're a fine bunch here. Everyone knows everyone so that shouldn't be too hard."
"Does that include you Jack?" asked Danny.
Jack thought over it for a few seconds then said "Yeah, it does." With what was looking more and more like a smile.

"Well... a computer, a synthesiser, a clean desk. Looks like a normal teenage bedroom." Stated Martin after checking the room.
"Yeah... but some clothes are missing." And with that Jack pointed to the open wardrobe.
"So... runaway kid?"
"I don't know, as far as I know, he was happy here."
"Yeah... from what you knew" Martin emphasised.

"Mrs Mykes" said Vivian "How is you relationship with your son?"
"I don't know, we're alone here so we're kinda closer than a normal family I suppose. He always acts as the man of the house for certain things. He's always done that."
"And you don't mind?"
"What? Erm we... we fight about it sometimes cos I think he's going too far, from time to time."
"And these fights they're never... never physical, are they?"
Jack entered the room with Martin nodding to Vivian to keep going.
"No! Of course no! I mean when it gets too hot he goes out. You know at friends'. I know he's been at Jack's a couple of time."

Jack walked up to them.
"Celia, Has Tim got his wallet with him?"
"Yes! He has it at all time, as he has his phone, but it's turned off now."
"Right... What's in his wallet?"
"I don't know... em driver's license, ID, bit of money I suppose, maybe his passport. I don't really know Jack I've never taken much notice." A silent tears rolled on the mother's cheek before she began to sob again.
"I'm sorry!" she said clutching her hands at her armchair.
"What about his father Celia, you said he was the man of the house." Said Vivian in order to change the subject.
"He doesn't know about Tim. I was on holiday and we lived something really strong for a while and then we split up and never talked again. He doesn't know about Tim and I never told Tim about him. I said I didn't know where he was or if he was still alive."
"Could he have found out?"
"No! No way!" and she became a bit hysterical at that so Vivian quickly changed the subject again.
"Okay, okay. Does he have a girlfriend?"
"I don't know he's been dating a girl a while ago but I don't know if they still see each other."

Danny and Sam returned from their neighbours' questioning. Danny quietly made a sign for Jack to come over.
"No one has seen Tim since last night. The guy living in front of the elevator said he saw him leave with a bag and a cap"
"Thanks" nodded Jack. "Viv?"
"Yes?"
"Are you done?"
"Yes boss."
"Right. Celia we have to go but we'll keep you post on the case."
"Yes, okay. Thank you Jack" she said eyes downcast.
"It's fine, you know, it's my job."
They went out the door, Jack was the last one in when Celia called him back.
"Do you have any leads?"
"I don't know, it looks like he ran away, or maybe he just planned to spend the night with his girlfriend. I don't know yet."
"Okay" she said feeling more hopeless than ever. How hard could it be for a mother to imagine her son running away from her.

Missing Person Unit, FBI, 10:43AM

"Danny" said Jack as he entered the bullpen. Here's his phone account, check his phone calls for the past too weeks, if he's on the run, he planned it."
"Right" said Danny as he took the sheet of paper.
"Sam and Viv, you go and visit the girlfriend"
Both women nodded.
"Martin you're coming with me, we're retracing his evening."
Everyone stood up but Jack interrupted the move.
"Before you go. As you've noticed Celia, Tim and I know each other quite well. I'm very fond of that kid and I swear we're gonna catch him before anything bad happens. I'm counting on all of you more than ever. I'm confident, being disappointed is not an option. Fine, off you go now."
Vivian raised her eyebrows at that. Finally it had paid off. Then she went with Sam to the girlfriend's flat.

Danny in the mean time was having trouble getting the information.
Samantha and Vivian returned an hour later having found nothing but the break up of the 'til-then happy couple.
"What? He broke up with that gorgeous girl?" Danny asked Samantha as they recounted him their meeting.
"Get real Danny. You don't stand a chance" she retorted. "Anyway he said he was going to be everywhere and not with her for a while. He figured it'd be better if they weren't together anymore."
"Funny guy." Said Danny.
"Don't speak too loud" Vivian warned him.

Danny then returned to his phone calls, this time he was having a bit more success but the phone company wouldn't deliver him the information until 24 hours. Which Danny accepted with a grunt.
It snapped Samantha out of her reverie. Which was a good thing anyway as she tend to think about her conversation with Jack. She hadn't talked to him for the whole morning. Well not about that, she hadn't got the chance, but somehow she figured she should say something about it, perhaps apologise.

Two hours more and Jack and Martin returned with some news. Jack immediately called for a meeting to see how it was going.
"So he's been at the pub where he holds gigs when he needs money and met up with some friends. Then at one in the morning he left and hasn't been seen since." Retaliated Martin trying to make sense out of all the information that was going on. "He has a fight with one of them because of his girlfriend, but he doesn't say they've split."
Jack interrupted him "Yeah but the guy has an alibi. Nevertheless he said he was going far away. To where we don't know, we only know he was looking for someone... or something"
"Yes but he asked the barmaid to call his mother and say he's all right, which she didn't do." Martin improved on Jack's report.
"Yes, Sam can you check her background, here's her name."
"Yep"
"Danny what about these phone calls?" finally asked Jack.
"We can't have them before 24 hours." He said guiltily.
"The kid's gone for 13 hours I need them by tomorrow morning, work on it."
"I'm gonna try" he said helplessly.

Jack was sitting in his office for a couple of hours when a knock interrupted his trail of thoughts. He had been thinking a lot. Thinking of Tim and Celia, of Hannah and Kate.
Sam had been up there too, what she had said this morning. He couldn't forget, but couldn't quite work out how he was feeling about it. A part of him was pleased with the effect he had still on her and the other was scared, unsure.
Just then the very same Sam walked into the room.

"The barmaid seems clear. No police record and her neighbours say she's a nice girl."
"Since when do neighbours know something?" he said a bit too bitterly.
"Yeah I know" she replied sheepishly.
"Geez I'm sorry. It's just going a bit too deep for me" he said with a look of concern in his eyes.
"It's okay." And she turned around. Pausing her hand on the knob she stopped and turn to face Jack again.
"About this morning Jack I don't want you to get the wrong idea..."
"I know I'm sorry I should have been more explicit."
"No it's not..."
"It is Sam. You know it and I know it. Let's just get over it. We've got a missing kid to find."
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"Nah it's okay, forget it."
"Right... see you tomorrow Jack."
"See you" he replied with a smile.

He didn't went home until an hour later. He went to Celia and had dinner with her. He tried to comfort her for a while. Then he went to his flat and collapsed on his bed feeling miserable.
Celia was devastated, he just had denied all his feelings to Sam and was completely lost in his case. How did he get there?


TBC... soon I hope, it will all depend on my exams (first one's tomorrow, Sociology fingers crossed).