Blair was waiting at the station when he got there, in an inconspicuous spot off of the squad room. He sat down next to her.
"What's up?" he started, too angry and overwhelmed to deal with pleasantries.
"He has a safe deposit box at the Llanview Bank under his father's name"
"Ned Truman?"
"Yeah" she said, "I think the gun is in there"
"Why?"
"Well I can promise you its not in his room, and I don't know what else he needs a safe deposit box in his dead dad's name for"
"Okay" he said, "I'll try for a warrant" he paused, "I hate to ask you for anything else-"
"If it'll help get Spencer, I'll do it"
"If he says anything about Natalie, anything at all-"
"You think he took her?" she whispered.
"I think it's possible" he whispered.
"Yeah, I'll let you know" she said, "I'm really sorry, John" she whispered and got up to go.
He got up and headed to his office, calling Hugh in on the way.
"Any update?" Hugh asked him once they were in his office.
"CSI is brushing over her car, but I don't think it's going to turn up anything. We got a ransom note, Bo's not convinced it's real"
"What do you think?"
"It doesn't line up with the other notes"
"You're not ruling it out"
"No" he said, "I got some intel. Truman's got a safe deposit box at Llanview Bank under his dad's name"
"I'll get a warrant" he said, and he watched his friend's eyes go back to Natalie's picture, "it has only been two days, John"
"That's two days too long" he muttered, but Hugh heard him.
Before Hugh could say anything to respond, an officer walked in his door, "result on the note back Lieutenant"
John grabbed the folder immediately, seeing the result at the bottom of the page. He pinned the newest note up next to the others.
"Hey Peters?" he said, turning back to the officer.
"Yeah, Lieutenant?"
"See if you can track down David Vickers and get him in here for me?"
"On it" he said, leaving the office.
"Vickers?"
"Forensics thinks it's the same person that wrote the other note"
"So why David?"
"Trying to get some insight"
"From David?"
He shrugged, "Just a hunch"
"Hey" she said, and he found himself thinking she was brightening the dark windowless lab.
"Hey" he said, "you look pretty"
"What brings you down here?" she asked, turning away from her lab work.
"I was wondering if-" he glanced around, making sure no one was listening to them, "if you'd read over a report for me, maybe give it to me in plain English?"
"And you're asking me to do that?" she said, taking the file folder.
"Well" he paused, "I need someone I trust"
She opened the file, then met his eyes, "This is your father's autopsy" she whispered.
He just nodded. She immediately got to reading, and he could see her energy redouble. He appreciated the care she was putting into this, especially since he was sure she wasn't going to get anything out of the report he didn't already know. She read from front to back, then looked back at him.
"He was shot from the right side. Bullet from a special order Colt. He lost a lot of blood"
He nodded. Nothing new.
"John-" she started, unsure.
"Yeah?" he was sure he already knew what she was about to say.
"I don't think that lines up with David's recounting of what happened. He said he shot him straight on"
He nodded.
"You already knew that" she said.
"Yeah" he said, "I was hoping- I don't know, that you'd see something different"
"Why?"
He paused. He didn't want to speak what he was thinking.
"Are you thinking you're going to have to let David go?"
"I hope it doesn't come to that" he said.
"John, for whatever it's worth-" she paused, "I don't think he's lying. He didn't have to tell you exactly what happened, he had to have done that from a place of, I don't know, honesty"
"I don't think Vickers has an honest bone in his body" he said, "but I'm starting to agree with you"
"Why"
"His story hasn't changed in all the times I've asked him about it"
"It really must have haunted him" she said, "I'm not saying that absolves him you know, I guess Spencer must have been using it to blackmail him for twenty-five years"
"I always comes back to that"
"Spencer?"
"Never trusted the guy" he said, "Something always seemed off"
"He hates grandpa" she said, "and my dad and Bo and Kevin and- everyone I guess"
"Why's that?"
"I don't know. There's the thing about Blair, but-" she shook her head, "never made sense"
"Thanks" he said, looking down.
"You don't have to thank me. I want to see you put an end to this as much as anyone else"
"I know" he said, "It's just, I know I've been- hard on you and your work stuff, and –"
"I get it. You're like lightyears ahead of me in your career"
He smirked, "lightyears?"
"You're like the best cop in the country"
"Well, that's one opinion"
"It's true"
"Yeah, well" he paused, "you'll be on that 'best of' list one of these days, too"
"I doubt it, I'm barely passing-"
"That's a lie, and you know it" he said, "There's a reason Bo's scalping you already"
"I think the fact that he's my uncle-"
"No" he said, "he'd help you get a job, sure, but he wouldn't put you on this force unless you were good"
"Good?"
"You didn't hear it from me" he said, his voice real low, "but I'm pretty sure you're the smartest person in the room right now"
Her smile could have lit up the whole station.
His mind wandered aimlessly, staring at his bulletin board as though something new would turn up. Would he ever see her smile again? Every minute that passed served as a reminder that he'd failed her and that was how they got into this situation.
"McBain?" he heard David's voice in his door.
"Vickers" he said, "Come on in"
"I heard about Natalie"
John looked down. He didn't feel like he could explain anything to the guy in front of him. He didn't like him, even if he'd proven useful as of late.
"For whatever it's worth, I hope you find her and that nothing bad's happened. Whatever happened, she doesn't deserve it"
"that's probably the first time I've ever agreed with you" he said, "Um, I got a couple questions for you"
"Sure" he said, sitting down.
"So, we're pretty sure your brother has a secret safe deposit box under your dad's name" he said, "Anything you know about that?"
"No, first I've heard about it"
"Anything you think he could be hiding in there?"
"The gun maybe?" he said, "but I get the feeling that's what you're hoping for already" he said, "so what's this really about"
"I was wondering what your brother thought of the Buchanans?"
"You think he has something to do with Natalie's kidnapping?"
"I'm not ruling it out" he said.
"What makes you think he would-"
"Natalie told me once he didn't like her family, I'm just exploring every avenue-"
"He doesn't like the Buchanans"
"Why?"
"He's never liked them" he said, "and that was before Llanview"
"Any idea what drove that?"
"Not really" he said, "I mean, I guess there was the angle of like, we were poor, they were rich"
"Yeah, but he's not poor anymore"
"that's for sure" he said, "and he does still hate them"
"just general resentment, or is it more?"
"I don't know" he said, "I always got the idea it came from our mom"
"Your mom?"
"yeah" he said, "I was real young when she died, but I never heard our dad complain about them, so I assume that's where he got it from"
"your mom have any connection? Any run ins?"
"I don't know" he said.
"Um, did your brother ever have anything to say about how Natalie found out she was a Buchanan?
"I don't think so" he said, "or at least, I've never heard him say anything. I don't think either of us knew much of it while it was happening"
"Okay" he said, "Listen, Vickers, if you hear anything about it, anything at all-"
"Yeah" he said, "I really hope she's okay, John"
John just nodded. David left. He didn't have any real new information, but this was exactly what Bo had warned him of. He picked up his phone.
"Balsom"
"Hey" he said, "Can you look into something for me?"
"What is it"
"Truman's mother"
"His mother?"
"Yeah, it's just a hunch. Vickers seems to think that's where Spencer got his hate of the Buchanans"
"I'm on it" he said, and hung up.