Disclaimer: I am not Anthony Zuiker, Ann Donahue or Carol Mendelsohn. All the characters of CSI: NY are not mine…I'm just borrowing them for a little bit. I promise that I will put them back, exactly the way I found them when I'm done….Oh, Cory Reid is mine and I will take credit for anything she does. :)

A/N: I do not own Jack Malone or any characters associated with Without a Trace, it was just easier to use them than to make up my own character. So, who does everyone think the mole is? Please let me know when you review! I want to see how obvious I made it:) As always, please, please, please R&R! My muse loves the attention!

Chapter 27.

Searching

The next time Danny awoke he hurt all over. His mind quickly reminded him why he'd gotten into this situation. "Damn me and my big mouth! Why did I have to antagonize him? I was just asking for trouble." Danny tried to move a little to ease the cramps in his arms and legs. He opened his eyes and realized that several hours had passed. He was guessing that it was about eight o'clock at night. No one was in the room with him.

Carefully he moved his arms to see if he could get the rope to give. He gave up after about ten minutes since he did not have the leverage. A few minutes later he heard footsteps outside of the room. He looked around for a door and guessed that it was behind him, since that was the only place that he could not see. He guessed from what he was hearing that there were two people walking towards the room.

He guess proved right as two men walked into the room. As they walked around him, Danny tried to memorize their features, noting the tattoos especially.

"Well, look here. He's awake," the first man said to the other.

"Well, the boss did say that we could have some fun if he was awake." The second man looked happy at the idea as he began to crack his knuckles.

Danny braced himself, preparing to get beat up again. Luckily, Ortiz walked in at that moment.

"Antonio and Jose. Take him to the room that we prepared just for him."

The two men untied Danny from the beam and then tied his arms behind him. He began to struggle, sensing that this might be his only chance to get away. His struggles only resulted in a blow to his head from the butt of a gun. He blinked the stars out of his eyes and by the time he could react again, he'd been thrown into a small windowless room. It had a mattress on the floor and nothing else in the room.

He heard the door lock behind him and realized that his hands were free. Instantly, he began to check his injuries, trying to find out how bad he was hurt. With a sigh of relief, he realized that most of the injuries were just bruises. His eye was slightly swollen and his ribs tender.

"I'm lucky. I wonder. Why am I still alive? Is Ortiz really going to carry out his threat and kill me in front of Cory?" Danny's heart jumped at that idea. He did not want to put Cory through anymore than necessary. "Damn it. I will find a way out of this. I can't let her be hurt again!"

With that thought, Danny began trying to plan his escape.

(Crime Lab)

Cory, Taylor and Lindsay practically ran into the crime lab. Cory was dodging people right and left.

"Cory, wait up! Do you mind explaining to us?" Stella was almost yelling the question as she followed her down the hall. By the time they had made it to the computer lab, all three women were winded. "Cory. Explain!" Stella was not taking no for an answer.

Cory tried to catch her breath. "The file. It was from Armando. He told me that that the mole was a man who was high up in the FBI. He said that he did not know his name, but he knew that he was one of the people to make the final decision on where to raid. He went on to say that whoever it was purposely set up Liz to frame her. Only they did not intend for her to be killed."

Taylor was confused. "So how does this help?"

Cory rushed on. "After I discovered there was a mole, there was an investigation. One of the factors of determining that Liz was the mole was an offshore bank account that was receiving regular deposits from businesses owned by Mala Suerte."

Taylor was still looking confused, although Stella was starting to realize what Cory was getting at. "So if Liz wasn't the mole, who was actually receiving the deposits from Mala Suerte. That's what you're getting at, right?"

Cory looked at Stella. "Exactly. So if I can track the money trail, then I can find the mole. If I find the mole, I find Danny!"

Cory sat down at the computer. "I need to go through this data, carefully, so that I can try to track the money down. It's going to take a while, so if y'all want to go get some sleep do it. I'll probably work all night before even getting close."

Taylor and Stella looked at each other. "We'd like to help. What can we do?"

Cory thought for a second. "I wish you could help me with the financial part, but you can't. How about checking possible properties to see if there are any locations that Ortiz might keep Danny at?" Cory thought about the threat for a moment. "Especially check ones that are isolated and if someone was being tortured, they would not be found out."

Both Taylor and Stella nodded and started to go through computer files.

(Several hours later, Midnight)

Cory had been working non-stop going over the financial data. She had called Agent Michaels to let him know about the development and had permission to begin background searches on the top members of the team. She had Stella running the background checks. She was hoping that if the traces were being run by the NYPD then they would not set off any possible warning systems.

At midnight, Mac walked by the lab. He stopped and did a double-take. He had been out on a call since before the women had come back. "Cory. Did I miss something? What are you guys doing back?"

Cory took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes and turned to Mac. "I have so information that might help us find Danny."

"What?"

"Thankfully, Taylor was curious about a music CD that I had made that was in with the evidence. It turns out that there was an additional CD in there. Mike had made it for me. The first thing I read told me that Liz was not the mole. So I'm hoping that if I find out who the mole is I can find Danny."

Mac looked at Cory's excitement and decided to caution her. "Just don't get your hopes up too much. It would be a serious letdown. Just be careful."

Cory looked at Mac. "Thanks, Mac. I know. It's possible that I won't be able to trace back to find out who the mole is. I have so much information here. The only reason I'm in the lab, is that I did not download the financial statements onto my laptop. They would take up too much space on the hard drive. Don't worry about me. I know the chances of me finding the mole in time are slim to none, but…I'm an optimist."

Mac just nodded as he walked out of the lab.

(Flack's apartment)

Flack and Lindsay got back to his apartment about midnight. The night had been subdued for them, both of them trying not to think to hard about Danny's disappearance.

"Do you want to come in?" Flack asked her nervously.

Lindsay nodded, still very subdued. "Yeah. Don?"

"Yeah, Linds?"

"I'm scared. What if something happens to Danny?"

Flack had been trying very hard not to think of that question the entire night. "Danny's strong, Linds. He'll be okay." He wrapped her in his arms. She was shaking with suppressed emotions. "It'll be okay, Linds. Trust me. Messer's a tough guy."

Lindsay nodded. "I know. But my concern is that if something were to happen to him…I don't know what would happen to Cory."

Flack drew back a little. "What do you mean?"

Lindsay drew a breath. "Cory told me when James was killed the only reason she didn't kill herself was because she wanted to kill Ortiz. Don, if Danny dies, I think it will be her breaking point. She would hunt down Ortiz, kill him and then kill herself. I'm worried about how she is going to handle this."

Flack just hugged her tighter. "Linds, I'll be honest. I don't know about how she would handle something like that. All I can say is that I've seen how strong she is. She's had to be. I think that as long as she had her friends behind her, she'll be able to cope with anything that comes her way."

Lindsay let out a sigh of relief. That was what she wanted to hear. "I'll trust you. Can we go to bed? I'm exhausted and I don't think I'll be able to make it back to my apartment without falling asleep."

Flack grinned. He liked waking up with her in his arms. "Sure." With that, they walked back to his bedroom.

(Unknown Location)

Danny was lying on the mattress. It had been several hours since the men had thrown him into the room and he was no closer to see how he could escape. "If I felt a little better, I'd try to fight my out, but with at least three of them, I don't stand a chance." That was what he was thinking about when the door opened.

Wincing a little in pain, he jumped up off of the mattress, getting ready to fight. One of the two men that had thrown him in the room walked in, carrying a plate of food. "Here. Ortiz says for you to eat." He put the food down and walked out of the room. Danny heard a lock click into place.

He was ravenous, his stomach grumbling, but he was cautious about eating. He did not want to be poisoned. Gingerly he picked at the meal, trying to make sure it would not harm him. When the meal was cold and he still felt okay, he dug into it in earnest. "I wonder what's going to happen next."

(Crime Lab, 7am)

Cory was sitting in the break room, her head pillowed on her arms fast asleep. Stella and Taylor had left two hours previous, saying that they were no use to her half dead. This was how Flack and Lindsay found her.

"Cory? Cory!" Lindsay called her name, trying to wake her up.

"Huh? What?" Cory woke up. "Linds? What's going on?"

Lindsay looked at her, noticing how exhausted she looked. "That's what I wanted to find out. Why are you here?"

Cory rubbed her eyes before putting her glasses back on. "I found out that Liz was not the mole, so I've been here most of the night trying to find out who the mole is. What time is it?"

Flack was the one that answered. "A little after 7. Have you been here all night?"

"Yeah. I must have fallen asleep. I'd better go check my files. I was running a search when I came in for coffee." Cory stood up wearily. She waived bye to Flack.

Lindsay followed her back to the lab. "Cory. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I will be. Look, I know that y'all are doing a good job trying to find Danny, but would you mind if I called in reinforcements?"

Lindsay looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Cory actually looked a little sheepish at Lindsay's comment. "I have some friends from the FBI that specialize in looking for missing persons. I'm going to call them and see if they are free to help us out."

"Have you told Flack or Mac?"

"Not yet. I was going to run it by Mac when he got back this morning. I didn't think about it until about 3 am. My mind seems to come up with good plans when I'm exhausted. I plan on just asking for their advice right now. To see if they know of anything that we have not been doing."

Lindsay nodded. "As much as I would love to be able to solve this case without any help, I know that the more people we have looking means it's more likely for us to find him. Alive."

"I know. I still think that the best chance we have of finding him will be me figuring out who the mole is."

Lindsay nodded. "By the way, what happened to your shadow?"

Cory laughed. "I sent him home. I told him that I would be safe in the lab and I promised not to leave. His replacement should be here in about an hour."

About an hour later, Mac was back in the lab. He first checked on Cory, to make sure she was still alive. He was surprised to see her and Lindsay talking. "Cory? Have you been here the entire night?"

Cory looked at Mac. "Yeah. I took about an hour nap in the break room, but otherwise, I've been hard at work. I want to find him, Mac."

"Understandable, but you need sleep."

Cory smiled wryly. "You know the saying Mac. I can sleep when I'm dead. This is more important. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Mac noted her serious tone. "What's going on?"

"I have some friends in the FBI's missing person's squad. I was thinking about asking for their advice. I just don't want to overstep my bounds."

Mac nodded. "Don't worry about it. The more help we have, the greater chance of finding Danny alive. Contact your friends and see if they can help."

"Thanks, Mac." Cory's phone beeped with a text message at that point. "Well, my shadow is back, so I'm going to head to my office. I can contact Jack and get some helpful hints at that point. I'll see y'all later."

Cory left Lindsay and Mac to head back to her office.

(FBI headquarters)

The first thing that Cory did when she got to her office was take a shower and change into some spare clothes she kept there. Once she had done that, she felt much better.

When she got to her office, she saw that she had a message from Travis. She called him. "What's going on, Travis?"

"That information you found has been a huge help! We've already identified several more targets and are waiting on your review of the financial statements. This truly is looking like the beginning of the end of Mala Suerte."

"I know. The amount of information discovered is staggering. I've looked into the some of the statements and it's going to take weeks or even months to get through it all. Plus, I have to help the NYPD with a case."

"Why? You would be more use here."

"I know, but one of the detectives that you met was kidnapped by Mala Suerte. I'm going to find him, Travis." Cory was reluctant to release anymore information. She knew there were only a couple of people that could be the mole and she did not want that information leaking back to them.

"I understand. Just don't take on too much."

"Thanks, Travis. I have to go. I've got work to do." Cory hung the phone and immediately called Jack Malone, the team leader on the best missing person's team in New York. "Hi, Jack. It's Cory Reid. Listen, can I meet you for lunch? I need some advice." They agreed to meet at a café down the street.

(Lunch)

Cory arrived at the café with her shadow a couple of minutes after Jack. "Hi, Jack! You're looking like you're doing okay."

The distinguished older gentlemen looked up at her. "You, too. What's going on?"

Cory drew a breath and began to describe the case to him, leaving nothing out. As she finished her explanation she looked at him. "Can you give me any advice on how to proceed?"

Jack looked thoughtful. "You're a couple steps ahead of where we'd normally be at this point. You know who took him, why and where he was taken from. It sounds like the crime lab is doing a good job of processing the evidence. It may take time. We normally have to retrace the steps of the person to find out where they went missing from. Are you sure that you can't get any information from informants?"

Cory swore softly. "I don't have any informants. Every time that I get one, they die."

Jack nodded his head. "Let me ask Elena. She was part of the NYPD narcotics unit, maybe she'll know someone to talk to. Are you going to be here or at the crime lab?"

Cory brightened at the thought of a possible informant. "I'm going back to the lab. I need to find the mole, Jack. I've got to cauterize the wound that is slowly killing this investigation."

"Understood. I'll send her over if she can help."

Both Cory and Jack stood up, getting ready to leave. Cory looked at Jack again. "Jack. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. Thank you."

Jack smiled a little. "That's what friends are for. Just stay safe. I don't want to have to look for you. Got it?"

Cory just laughed. It was a long standing joke between the two. "That's why I have a shadow. I'll be fine, Jack. I'll see you later."

Cory was in a much better mood as she headed back to the lab.

A/N:

the little corinthian- I'm glad you liked the cliffie...it was a fun one to write. I totally agree that it was totally Danny. Only he would antagonize the one person who wants to kill him! Who do you think the mole is? It will be revealed in the next chapter!

kasmith101- Yup. The plot twists keep on coming! (It helps that I've been planning this the entire story!) The case itself should have some sort of a resolution in the next 5 or 6 chapters then it's back to fluff!

chili-peppers (I'm blushing furiously right now!) Merci beaucoup! Yeah, you're right...it is going to hurt in the morning, but it was Danny being Danny!

pnkrckprncss- Yup. I'm in college, so I'm out of school from the 2nd week in May to the 2-3rd week of August (if I don't take summer classes)...I can't complain too much with that much time off! Plus only 7 more classes and I finally (And I mean FINALLY) graduate!

axellia- She was a bit familar! I'm glad I got her spot on...That was my one fear. Completely writing her out of character! Soon Maddy will make an appearance! Cory accepts her cyber hug and I made my muse forward the healing onto Danny. He's going to be...um...what's the word? Rather painfilled. That's it. He's going to be rather painfilled for the next couple of chappies. He just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut! But help is on the way!