14 hours missing
Danny and Martin stood in the foyer of the British Embassy in New York, waiting to be shown into Jess's office. Even through it was well past midnight, the foyer was a hub of activity; phones were ringing incessantly, suited men and women were hurrying in and out of rooms, up and down the stairs.
"How you doin'?" Danny looked down at Martin's leg.
"Its fine," Martin replied, "Not as painful anymore, and at least I can walk without a cane. I'm getting sick of physio though."
"Well, y'know man, you can always come to the gym with me."
"Yeah, maybe." Martin knew that Danny still felt guilty about the shooting, still blamed himself for Martin's wounds, and was still trying to make it up to him, even though Martin had told him there was nothing to forgive.
"Yes sir," Jess's voice cut their conversation short and they looked up to see her walking with an older man, "We're doing everything we can to find her."
"I want her back Jessica," the man turned to look at her, "She's my little girl."
Jess placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'll find her Phil."
"I know you will." The Ambassador pulled her into a hug.
Jessica waited a moment before pulling back, "Go; meet with the President."
The Ambassador walked away as a young woman came to her. She handed her a sheet and said something. Jess looked up and saw Danny and Martin. She thanked the woman and walked to them.
"Agent Taylor, Agent Fitzgerald." Jess shook their hands, "Follow me please."
They followed her past the sweeping staircase and through a door underneath it. A stone spiral staircase led downwards. "Very medieval," Jess looked up at them as she walked down, "But it works for us. We've got our own little control room down here so to speak."
The room below was even busier than the foyer.
Danny and Martin followed Jess across the room and into a back room, where a nervous looking man was sitting.
"Agents Taylor, Fitzgerald, this is Mike Wilson," Jess introduced him, "Mike is in charge of all vehicles." She handed Danny a cassette, "We've already interviewed him; this is a copy of it. And here's a list of potential suspects."
Danny read through the list, "There's not many here."
"The Ambassador's a popular man."
"Okay," Martin finished reading the list over Danny's shoulder, "We're gonna' need to talk to Mr Wilson in private and we'll also need to speak to the bodyguard."
"No problem. I am going to have to ask that one of my agents observe the interview from another room."
"Of course."
Jess sat in her office tapping the desk with her pen. A report lay on her desk but she couldn't bring herself to focus on it. Her thoughts were racing. Where was she? Was she hurt? Was she scared? Did they…?
She shook her head, unable to say the words in her head, let alone out loud. She looked at the video tape in front of her; the security tape from the car bay. She walked around her desk and slotted it into the VCR. Leaning back on her desk, she flicked on the screen with her remote.
Fast forwarding, she watched the time rush by on the counter and hit play when it reached two-thirty. There he was; the man who take her. When she got hold of him; god help him, she'd kill him.
"That him?" Martin's voice made her jump.
She turned to face him, "Yeah, yeah I think so."
"You got any idea who it is? Anyone from the list." Martin leant against the desk next to her.
"Not a clue." Jess squinted at the picture, "But there is something familiar about him."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure, the way he moves… I feel like I know him. Like I've met him before… before I joined the service."
"An old friend from England, perhaps? Someone who held a grudge you thought had been resolved." Martin sat on one of the chairs in front of her desk.
"No," Jess shook her head, her eyes still glued to the screen, "It's not a friend… he makes me feel tense… gives me the chills." She turned to look at Martin, "Do you know what I mean?"
Martin shook his head, "Not really."
"I'm sure its nothing." Jess sat back in her chair, "Where's Agent Taylor?"
"He's still interviewing one of your agents with Agent Finnegan."
"So what can I do for you, Agent Fitzgerald?"
"Martin, please."
"Martin," Jess stressed his name, "what is it?"
"The agent that had his I.D. stolen."
"James, yeah, what about him?"
"We need to interview him."
"Wait, you think James would?" Jess asked incredulously, "James would never do that. I run a tight ship here, Agent Fitzgerald."
"We, and you, need to entertain the possibility that one of your own was, at the very least, involved. And if his I.D. was used by an outsider, it could be that the kidnapper used it to access files and information that would lead him or her to Lizzy's whereabouts."
Jess studied him, and finally decided that his words made sense, "Sarah? Can you get Agent Clarke in here a.s.a.p. please? Thanks."
"And we'll need details of the car."
"That's fine." Jess looked at him, "And I'll look into to what files he has accessed the past couple of weeks. Anything else?"
He hesitated, "Are you… are you okay?"
Jess leaned back, "Yeah… no… I just… this girl is under my care. I'm close to her… very close. She's like a younger sister to me. And I've let her down."
Martin looked at the British Agent, trying to keep her wits around her, and tried to find a way to reassure her, "We'll find her."
